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A  YEAR  WITH 
THE  GAEKWAR  OF  BARODA 


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A  YEAR  WITH  THE 
GAEKWAR  OF  BARODA 


BY    THE 

REV.  EDWARD  ST.  CLAIR  WEEDEN 


OF  NEW  COLLEGE.  OXFORD.  M.A. 

SOMETIME  MINOR  CANON  OF  CHESTER  CATHEDRAL 

AND  VICAR  OF  CANON-FFROME 


With  25  Illustrations  from  Photographs 
Including  a.  Photogravure  Frontispiece 


BOSTON : 

DANA  ESTES  &  CO. 


TO  HER  HIGHNESS 

THE  MAHARANI  SCINDHIA  OF  GWALIOR 
(PRINCESS  INDIRA  GAEKWAR) 

A  WEDDING  GIFT 
FROM  THE  MOST  DEVOTED  OF  HER  SUBJECTS 


2045653 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

His  Highness  the  Maharaja         .        .  Photogravure  Frontispiece 
The  Gaekwar  at  Canon-frrome     .        .        .        Facing  page     3 

Palace  Compound „  n 

Silver  Bullock  Cart „  19 

Raj  Mahal „  25 

A  Silver  Carriage „  34 

A  Gold  Gun „  50 

His  Highness  the  Maharaja ....  „  64 

The  Treasure „  71 

Makarpura  Palace „  94 

Three  Little  Maids  from  School   ...  „  99 

Miss  Clarke „  104 

The  Arena „  121 

Durbar  Hall „  136 

State  Elephants '  „  156 

The  Author  and  his  Host    ....  „  168 

A  Hindu  Temple „  185 

Her  Highness  the  Maharani         ...  „  200 

Baroda  City „  207 

Princess  Indira  Gaekwar     ....  ,,  220 

Prince  Shivajarao  Gaekwar         ...  „  224 

At  Makarpara „  283 

Bathing  Place „  297 

The  College  .  ,,306 

The  Golden  Ambari     .....  ,,  314 


A  WORD   OF   APOLOGY 

IT  may  seem  almost  unnecessary  to  try  to  palm  ofi 
yet  another  book  of  India  upon  the  public,  and  my 
only  claim  to  a  hearing  is  that  I  have  seen  India 
with  the  eyes  of  the  man  in  the  street  and  have 
enjoyed  the  experience  so  much  that  I  think  he 
may  perhaps  like  to  see  her  through  mine. 

At  least  he  will  have  one  advantage  which  is  not 
given  to  everybody :  he  will  see  her  as  the  guest  of 
the  Maharaja  Gaekwar  of  Baroda,  G. C.S.I.,  one  of 
the  three  Premier  Princes  of  India,  with  a  salute  of 
twenty-one  guns,  the  ruler  of  two  millions  of  men, 
reputed  to  possess  the  finest  collection  of  jewels  in  the 
world  and  to  have  a  fabulous  revenue  at  his  disposal. 
As  he  ought  to  be  able  to  recognize  his  host  when 
he  sees  him,  I  must  begin  by  giving  as  good  a 
description  of  him  as  I  can. 

His  Highness,  who  is  now  forty-eight  years  of  age, 
is  rather  below  the  middle  height  and  inclined  to 
stoutness.  His  short  black  hair  is  very  slightly  tinged 
with  grey  on  the  temples,  and  except  for  his  closely- 
trimmed  moustache  he  is  clean-shaven.  He  has  the 
intelligent  look  of  the  clever,  well-educated  man,  and 
the  indefinable  expression  of  one  who  is  accustomed 
to  be  obeyed.  His  countenance  is  eminently  pleasing 

i 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

without  being  strikingly  handsome,  and  shows  great 
determination,  frankness  and  amiability.  His  hands 
and  feet  are  small  and  shapely,  and  he  has  a  very 
clear  and  pleasant  voice.  His  manners  are  perfect, 
gracious,  easy  and  self-possessed.  He  is  always 
beautifully  dressed  and  groomed,  and  has  the  healthy 
complexion  bestowed  by  temperate  habits  and  regular 
exercise.  He  talks  rapidly  and  well,  with  graceful 
gestures,  and  has  a  charming  smile  and  an  irresistible 
laugh. 

His  character  in  no  way  falls  short  of  the  favour- 
able impression  produced  by  his  personal  appearance. 
Kind,  generous  and  just,  he  is  one  of  the  wisest, 
ablest  and  most  enlightened  rulers  that  India  has 
yet  seen. 

If  it  is  hard  for  me  to  do  justice  to  the  striking 
personality  of  the  Maharaja,  it  is  impossible  for  me 
to  give  any  adequate  impression  of  Her  Highness  the 
Maharani.  This  most  beautiful  and  charming  lady,  a 
daughter  of  one  of  the  most  ancient  royal  houses  of 
India,  commands  the  admiration  and  devotion  of  all 
who  are  happy  enough  to  know  her. 

The  Maharaja  is  indeed  fortunate  in  having  such 
a  consort :  an  admirable  wife,  a  wise  and  discreet 
counsellor,  a  devoted  mother  to  her  three  fine  sons 
and  to  the  daughter  in  whom  she  lives  again,  a 
perfect  hostess,  a  true  and  loyal  friend. 

For  nearly  twenty  years  I  have  enjoyed  the 
intimate  friendship  of  the  Maharaja,  and  have 


A   WORD   OF  APOLOGY 

travelled  with  him  through  most  of  the  countries  of 
Europe.  His  Highness  has  also  honoured  me  with 
short  visits  at  Chester  and  at  Canon-ffrome.  For  a 
long  time  I  was  unable  to  accept  the  many  kind 
invitations  he  gave  me  to  stay  with  him  in  Baroda. 
At  last  a  favourable  opportunity  came,  and  early  in 
October,  190-  I  sailed  on  the  Macedonia,  one  of 
the  largest  vessels  in  the  P.  and  O.  fleet,  to  spend  a 
year  with  the  Gaekwar. 

It  remains  to  be  seen  whether  my  impressions  of 
India  will  be  of  interest  to  others ;  for  me  they 
remain  a  gorgeous  vision  which  will  brighten  many  a 
dark  day. 

The  following  pages  are  compiled  from  letters  sent 
by  the  mail  to  my  mother  every  week,  but  for  con- 
venience sake  they  are  here  arranged  according  to  the 
month.  The  Maharaja  has  been  in  England  this 
year  for  the  Coronation,  with  Her  Highness,  and  the 
announcement  of  Princess  Indira's  engagement  to  the 
Maharaja  Scindhia  of  Gwalior  has  given  great 
pleasure  to  all  their  friends,  many  of  whom  will  be 
interested  by  an  account  of  their  daily  life  in  India. 
I  need  hardly  say  how  much  obliged  I  am  to  His 
Highness  for  allowing  me  to  publish  it.  As  a  rule  he 
prefers  to  avoid  the  public  gaze,  but  he  understands 
how  anxious  I  am  to  put  on  record  the  gratitude 
which  I  feel  to  them  all  for  their  extraordinary  kind- 
ness to  a  humble  individual  like  myself;  and  he  has 
bidden  me  to  speak  out  freely  without  fear  of  giving 

3  i* 


A   YEAR  WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 

offence,  and  to  give  him  the  chance  of  seeing  himself 
as  others  see  him.  And  yet  I  know  only  too  well 
that,  though  I  am  sure  to  be  accused  of  drawing  too 
flattering  a  portrait,  it  will  still  fall  far  short  of  what 
it  ought  to  be. 

Like  a  small  boy  in  the  cricket  field  who  calls  out 
"  Trial !  "  when  he  faces  the  bowler,  I  must  commend 
my  first  book  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  critics  and 
beg  them  not  to  send  my  bails  flying  with  their  first 
ball.  Apart  from  the  spelling,  which  was  never  my 
strong  point,  my  pages  are  sure  to  be  crammed  with 
"  accuracies "  (as  the  Librarian  at  Baroda  would  say). 

If  men  who  have  spent  a  lifetime  in  India  confess 
that  they  have  failed  to  penetrate  into  the  inner 
thought  and  feeling  of  the  people,  it  is  not  likely  that 
I  should  have  succeeded  in  so  doing ;  and  as  I  have 
no  knowledge  of  the  language,  all  my  observations 
must  necessarily  have  been  of  the  most  superficial 
kind.  At  the  same  time,  my  opportunities  for  study- 
ing the  native  life  have  been  such  as  are  given  to 
but  few  Englishmen  in  India,  although  I  had  so  little 
time  to  make  use  of  them ;  and  it  is  just  possible 
that  I  may  be  able  to  contribute  something  fresh  to 
a  wide  and  interesting  subject. 

It  is  much  to  have  spent  twelve  months  in  a 
country  and  to  leave  it  with  a  strong  feeling  of 
affection,  I  might  almost  say  of  devotion,  towards  its 
inhabitants.  There  are,  no  doubt,  objectionable 
people  in  India  as  there  are  everywhere,  but  I  have 

4 


A  WORD   OF  APOLOGY 

come  across  very  few  of  them.  The  native,  even 
when  he  is  exasperating,  is  always  amusing ;  and  as 
a  general  rule  I  have  found  him  kind,  courteous, 
hospitable  as  far  as  his  mode  of  life  allows,  and  as 
considerate  as  may  be  when  you  take  his  leisurely, 
easy-going  disposition  into  account.  His  ways  are 
not  our  ways,  and  never  will  be ;  but  he  is  none 
the  less  a  good  fellow,  and  I  make  him  my  bow,  and 
shake  him  by  the  hand,  and  hope  that  I  may  some 
day  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  him  again. 

Lewes, 

Feast  oj  St.  Michael  and  All  Angels. 
1911. 


A  YEAR  WITH 
THE  GAEKWAR  OF  BARODA 


OCTOBER 

Lakshmivilas  Palace, 

Baroda. 

HPHE  chief  impression  which  India  has  made  upon 
me  during  this  first  week  is  one  of  unreality ;  it 
all  seems  too  good  to  be  true;  there  is  something  in 
the  atmosphere  which  helps  this  delusion.  In  England 
one  feels  it  perhaps  once  in  five  years,  and  then  the 
sky  becomes  cloudy,  or  something  tiresome  happens, 
and  the  reality  of  life  is  brought  home  to  one.  But 
here  there  is  nothing  to  mar  the  effect  of  living  in 
fairyland :  I  have  felt  nothing  like  it  since  the 
evening  many  years  ago  when  the  curtain  went  up  at 
my  first  pantomime.  Here  there  are  no  clouds,  no 
rain,  no  worries,  only  one  splendid  blaze  of  beauty, 
one  magnificent  feast  of  colour  from  morning  till 
night. 

The    nights    are    as    beautiful   as    the   days,  and  it 
seems   quite  a  waste  of  time  to  go  to  bed ;    and  then 

7 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

when  one  wakes  in  the  morning  there  steals  across 
the  mind  a  peaceful  thrill  of  perfect  happiness  at  the 
thought  of  what  the  day  has  in  store. 

Already  the  days  on  the  Macedonia  seem  far  away 
in  the  past ;  after  a  delightful  voyage,  during  which  I 
made  many  charming  friends,  we  woke  one  glorious 
morning  to  find  ourselves  lying  off  Bombay.  I 
hastened  on  deck,  and  found  that  we  were  in  a 
beautiful  bay,  enclosed  on  two  sides  by  numerous 
islands,  with  the  lofty  towers  of  the  city  glittering 
before  us  and  high  hills  rising  in  the  background. 

A  clerk  from  Cook's  office  came  up  with  a  letter 
from  the  Maharaja  asking  me  to  go  on  to  Baroda 
by  the  night  mail,  as  we  should  have  many  oppor- 
tunities of  seeing  Bombay  together  later  on.  The 
clerk  took  charge  of  my  luggage,  and  we  were  soon 
driving  through  streets  thronged  with  people  dressed 
in  the  most  brilliant  costumes,  to  the  Taj  Mahal 
hotel,  a  large,  cool  building  where  baths  and  breakfast 
awaited  us. 

I  did  not  attempt  any  sight-seeing,  but  spent  the 
day  in  driving  up  and  down  the  broad,  handsome 
street  with  tramways  running  down  it  where  the 
principal  shops  are,  in  which  I  soon  bought  all  the 
clothes  I  am  likely  to  want. 

We  had  tea  at  the  Yacht  Club  on  a  long  breezy 
terrace  overlooking  the  bay,  crowded  with  smartly- 
dressed  women  with  their  attendant  swains,  and  then 
went  for  a  stroll  on  the  Apollo  Bandar,  or  landing- 

8 


OCTOBER 

place,  where  the  natives  congregate  in  the  evening  in 
their  carriages. 

Most  of  the  wealthy  merchants  of  India  are  Parsis, 
who  have  large  houses  in  Bombay  and  live  so  far  as 
they  can  in  English  style. 

After  a  cheery  dinner  at  the   hotel,    a    few    faithful 

friends  drove  with  me  to  the  station,  where  we   were 

met  by    Cook's    men,   who   had    brought   my   luggage 

and  reserved  a  large  compartment   for   me,    and    with 

hearty  farewells  to  my  comrades  I  was  soon   steaming 

away  into   the   starlit    night    through   the  suburbs   of 

Bombay  and  over  the  creaking  bridges  that  join  it  to 

the  mainland,  for  the  city  itself  is  built  on  an  island. 

A  comfortable  bed  was  spread  on  one  of  the   broad 

seats,  and  I  made  my  preparations  for  the  night ;  but 

at    first    I    was   in    no    mood    to    sleep :    I    had    some 

delicious    fruit,  iced    drinks    and    a    box    of    excellent 

Indian   cigars    at    my   elbow,  and    all    around    me    lay 

India,  the  day-dream  of  my  life  realized  at  last,  with 

its    vast    jungles,  through   which   elephants  and    tigers 

might    be  roaming  and  which  were  sure  to  be   pretty 

full    of    snakes.     At    length    the    fatigues    of    the    day 

began     to    make    themselves    felt,    and    I    sank    into 

oblivion    until    the    Eurasian   guard    came    to   tell    me 

that   it    was    five    o'clock    and    that    Baroda    was    our 

next  stop.     I    had    just  finished  dressing  when  we  got 

there,  and  Sampatrao,  the   Maharaja's    brother,  whom 

I    had   met   in    England,  came  rushing  in  to  welcome 

me,    and    carried    me    off    through    rows    of   bowing 

9 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

station  officials  to  an  open  carriage  with  a  pair  of 
splendid  horses  which  was  waiting  for  us. 

The  day  was  just  dawning  as  we  drove  along  a 
broad  road  planted  with  large,  shady  trees,  and  Sam- 
patrao,  chatting  gaily,  kept  waving  his  hand  towards 
shadowy  buildings  which  he  named  as  we  passed 
them,  the  College,  the  Hospital,  the  Entrance  to  the 
Public  Park,  the  Military  Hospital. 

Then  we  crossed  a  handsome  stone  bridge  over  a 
broad,  deep  river,  and  turned  through  a  gateway  into 
the  winding  drives  of  a  park :  and  suddenly,  as  the 
bugles  were  heralding  the  rising  sun,  there  rose  before 
us  the  domes  and  pinnacles  and  the  graceful  tower 
soaring  heavenwards  of  the  beautiful  Palace  in  which 
I  am  now  living. 

Passing  through  a  large  hall  we  entered  a  lift  and 
were  taken  up  to  the  second  floor,  where  Sampatrao 
showed  me  my  rooms,  a  magnificent  suite,  drawing- 
room,  study,  bedroom,  bathroom  and  dressing-room, 
opening  on  one  side  on  to  a  broad  corridor  which 
forms  one  side  of  one  of  the  great  courtyards  of  the 
Palace,  filled  with  tall  palm-trees  and  fountains,  and 
on  the  other  through  archways  of  delicate  trellis-work 
on  to  an  equally  broad  verandah  overlooking  the 
park. 

Sampatrao  clapped  his  hands,  and  a  venerable, 
white-bearded  butler  presently  appeared,  followed  by 
two  bare-footed,  turbaned  servants,  bearing  a  fragrant 
chota  bazri,  or  "little  breakfast"  of  tea,  savoury 

10 


OCTOBER 

omelette,  fruit,  etc.,  which  they  placed  on  a  table  on 
the  verandah. 

Oh !  how  delicious  it  was !  I  have  never  enjoyed  a 
meal  so  much,  sitting  on  that  cool,  shady  terrace 
with  the  splendid  gardens  of  the  Palace  spread  out 
before  us.  Far  beneath  our  feet  a  host  of  dark- 
skinned,  thin-legged  men  were  busy  jerking  streams 
of  water  from  leathern  skins  which  hung  from  their 
shoulders  over  the  wide  gravel  drives,  separated  from 
one  another  by  a  green  belt  of  grass,  from  which  rose 
graceful  palms  and  groups  of  statuary.  Then  a  broad 
terrace  with  marble  balustrade,  beyond  which 
fountains  were  playing  into  three  great  basins  of 
water  set  in  the  midst  of  a  large,  sunk  garden 
blazing  with  flowers.  Swans,  white  and  black,  swam 
slowly  about  in  the  water,  or  went  through  a 
leisurely  morning  toilet  on  the  platform  of  the  gaily 
painted  floating  house  in  which  they  live,  and  a  troop 
of  monkeys  played  about  among  the  trees.  Beyond 
the  garden  a  double  avenue  of  fine  trees  extended  for 
about  a  mile  to  an  old  Hindu  temple  on  the  bank  of 
the  river,  and  beyond  this  again  tree-tops  innumerable 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  In  fact  the  whole 
country  looks  like  a  great  park. 

Sampatrao  then  suggested  that  I  might  like  to  have 
my  bath  and  departed,  leaving  me  to  the  care  of 
three  servants,  none  of  whom  spoke  a  word  of 
English,  who  were  standing  helplessly  about  among 
my  baggage,  evidently  quite  bewildered  and  rather 

ii 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

frightened.     They     were     extremely     anxious     to    do 
something,  but    had  not  the  faintest  idea  what  to  do. 

At  last  I  got  my  things  unpacked  and  stowed  away 
somehow,  and  was  soon  lying  in  a  lovely  great  marble 
bath  of  warm  water,  into  which  about  half  a  bottle 
of  eau-de-Cologne  had  been  sprinkled.  Really  I  need 
have  brought  next  to  nothing  with  me :  everything 
you  could  think  of  has  been  provided  and  on  the 
most  lavish  scale,  sponges,  hair-brushes,  scents,  tooth- 
powders,  hair-washes  :  my  dressing-room  is  more  like 
Truefitt's  shop  than  anything  else.  Then  I  managed 
to  dress  with  some  difficulty,  as  they  would  not  let 
me  do  a  thing  for  myself,  and  yet  had  no  notion  how 
to  do  it  themselves. 

At  last  in  a  happy  moment  I  made  them  under- 
stand by  signs  that  I  wished  to  be  shaved,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  a  very  dignified,  handsome  little  person 
appeared  with  a  complete  barber's  outfit.  He  spoke 
English  very  well  indeed,  and  we  had  a  long  conver- 
sation as  he  shaved  me  very  slowly,  putting  the  lather 
upon  about  a  square  inch  of  my  face  at  a  time  and 
then  shaving  it  off. 

It  seems  that  the  Maharaja's  barber  was  ill  and 
Sanka  was  taking  his  place  for  a  few  days ;  after  that 
he  was  going  to  be  my  servant ;  on  that  point  he  had 
quite  made  up  his  mind.  "  You  see,  Sahib,  there  is 
no  help.  These  other  men  they  speak  no  English, 
and  you  speak  no  Hindustani.  I  have  been  in 
General  Evans-Gordon's  house  for  twelve  or  fourteen 

12 


OCTOBER 

months,  and  have  learnt  the  butler's  work,  the  valet's 
work,  all  kinds  of  work.  So  when  Laxman  comes 
back  to  the  Maharaja  Sahib  then  I  will  come  to  your 
Honour.  No  English  Sahib  has  ever  stayed  in  the 
palace  before,  but  his  Highness  wishes  to  show  your 
Honour  great  respect  and  so  he  invites  you  to  stay  in 
his  palace.  These  other  men  are  all  very  good 
servants ;  but  when  you  tell  them,  *  Do  this,  do  that,' 
they  cannot  do  it,  because  they  do  not  understand. 
But  in  five  or  three  days  I  will  be  always  with  your 
Honour  and  be  your  faithful  servant,  and  then  you 
will  be  very  happy.  And  if  you  will  be  so  kind  and 
tell  me  of  my  faults,  then  perhaps  His  Highness  will 
take  me  with  him  when  he  next  goes  to  England ; 
and  I  want  very  much  to  see  England." 

Sanka  then  sprinkled  me  in  the  most  professional 
manner  with  various  essences,  brushed  my  hair  and 
helped  me  to  finish  dressing,  and  then,  telling  me 
that  the  Maharaja  was  still  sleeping  after  a  disturbed 
night,  departed  bowing  and  smiling. 

I  then  made  the  tour  of  my  rooms,  which  are 
beautifully  furnished  in  the  English  way,  with  a 
Bechstein  piano  and  heaps  of  books  and  magazines,  the 
only  difference  being  that  there  are  no  windows  and 
no  doors.  Heavy  cocoanut  mats  called  "  tattis "  are 
hung  over  the  arches  of  the  verandah,  which  are 
lowered  and  sprinkled  with  water  when  it  grows  hot, 
and  the  doorways  are  hung  with  silken  curtains. 
Taking  a  newspaper,  I  lay  back  in  a  comfortable  easy- 

13 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

chair  and  was  soon  fast  asleep,  with  an  electric  fan 
humming  softly  behind  me. 

When  I  woke  there  was  the  Maharaja  standing  by 
my  side  looking  down  upon  me  with  his  pleasant 
smile.  You  may  imagine  how  quickly  I  jumped  up, 
and  how  delighted  I  was  to  see  him  again.  He  was 
looking  awfully  well  and  jolly  and  not  a  day  older 
than  when  I  last  saw  him.  Except  for  his  turban  he 
was  dressed  all  in  white,  the  under  garments  being 
very  soft  and  fine  and  covered  with  an  agniakara,  a 
long  tunic,  double-breasted  and  fastened  at  the  side 
with  strings,  with  a  curious  pattern  upon  it  which  is 
made  by  pressing  it  with  shells.  The  trousers,  or 
Jhodpore  breeches,  as  they  are  called,  fit  tightly  round 
the  calf  and  are  very  baggy  above  the  knee.  His 
turban,  or  puggari,  to  give  it  its  proper  name,  is  made 
of  thin  cords,  twisted  tightly  together  by  a  cunning 
workman,  and  ending  in  a  strip  of  cloth  of  gold 
which  is  brought  over  at  the  end  to  form  the  crown. 
It  is  of  the  dull  brick-red  which  is  the  royal  colour, 
and  has  a  curious  little  peak  behind  which  is  peculiar 
to  the  Gaekwar  family.  He  was  wearing  socks  and 
red  Oriental  slippers. 

He  looked  through  my  rooms  with  great  interest 
and  suggested  one  or  two  slight  improvements,  and  at 
eleven  o'clock  we  went  down  together  to  the  dining- 
room  to  breakfast.  Here  we  found  Vaniker  and  dear 
little  Doctor  Jadhav,  beaming  with  joy  to  see  me 
again,  and  I  was  introduced  to  the  Maharaja's  uncle, 

14 


OCTOBER 

Owchitrao  Kaka  and  to  a  cousin  of  the  Maharani,  who 
speaks  no  English — almost  the  only  person  here  who 
does  not.  The  A.D.C.  in  waiting,  Captain  Nimbalker, 
also  lunched  with  us,  a  most  agreeable  person. 

The  meal  was  a  long  one,  as  His  Highness  wanted 
to  hear  all  about  my  voyage  and  told  me  not  to 
hurry  myself.  When  it  was  over  we  adjourned  to 
the  billiard-room  and  had  a  game,  and  at  one  o'clock 
a  message  came  from  the  Maharani  that  she  would 
receive  me  in  her  apartments. 

My  heart  went  pit-a-pat  as  I  followed  my  guide 
down  the  long  corridor ;  at  the  end  of  it  was  an 
archway  concealed  by  a  wooden  screen  upon  which 
he  tapped.  An  old  woman  appeared,  who  grinned 
with  delight  when  she  saw  the  "  Master  Sahib,"  as 
the  servants  used  to  call  me  in  England,  and  beckoned 
me  to  follow  her.  Another  passage  brought  us  to  a 
balcony  running  round  a  courtyard  filled  with  tall 
palms  and  fountains,  and  there,  leaning  against  the 
balustrade,  stood  my  beautiful  and  gracious  Maharani, 
whose  clear  dark  eyes  shone  with  pleasure  as  she  came 
slowly  towards  me  with  graceful,  swaying  steps  holding 
out  both  hands  in  welcome. 

The  Maharani  is  of  middle  height,  but  carries  her 
head  so  proudly  and  yet  so  gracefully  that  she  appears 
taller  than  she  really  is.  Her  carefully  kept  and 
abundant  hair  is  hidden  by  a  sari  of  white  silk  shot 
with  gold,  which  falls  over  the  perfect  outline  of  her 
exquisite  figure  and  is  gathered  between  the  knees, 

15 


A   YEAR  WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 

showing  the  ankles  encircled  with  pearls  and  the  small 
bare  feet,  which  are  as  beautifully  kept  as  her  hands. 
She  has  two  features  which  distinguish  her  beyond 
all  other  women :  her  magnificent  teeth,  revealed  within 
the  firm  mouth  by  her  rare  and  charming  smile,  and 
her  arms,  which  are  the  most  comely  in  the  world. 
It  was  not  till  I  had  been  with  her  for  some  time 
that  I  noticed  the  collar  of  emeralds  as  large  as 
pigeons'  eggs  round  her  neck,  and  the  chain  of  price- 
less pearls  that  falls  from  her  shoulders  to  the  waist. 

After  the  first  few  words  of  welcome  she  led  the 
way  to  her  drawing-room,  a  large,  lofty  room  over- 
looking the  park,  furnished  with  the  exquisite  taste 
which  makes  the  most  valuable  objects  look  simple 
and  homely.  The  chairs,  the  tables,  the  china  behind 
the  glass  doors  of  the  cupboards,  the  pictures,  the 
statuettes  and  vases,  the  whole  decoration  of  this 
delightful  room  was  so  absolutely  in  harmony  with 
the  Maharani  herself  that  one  forgot  for  the  moment 
to  wonder  at  the  perfect  taste  which  had  laid  all 
Europe  and  the  artistic  knowledge  of  a  hundred 
friends  under  contribution  to  create  these  pleasing 
surroundings  in  the  heart  of  an  Eastern  principality. 

She  began  at  once  to  talk  about  the  subject  nearest 
to  her  heart,  her  children.  Princess  Indira  was  upstairs, 
suffering  from  a  slight  attack  of  fever,  but  I  should 
see  her  at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  Jaisinhrao 
the  eldest  boy,  is  in  America,  taking  his  degree  at 
Harvard,  and  she  is  looking  forward  to  having  him 

16 


OCTOBER 

home  during  the  long  vacation.  Shivajirao  is  in 
Bombay  for  one  of  the  University  examinations,  and 
will  be  home  again  next  week.  Dharyashilrao,  the 
youngest  boy,  is  at  school  at  Eastbourne,  and  finds 
the  Sundays  very  dull. 

When  I  asked  if  I  should  ever  see  her  again  during 
my  visit,  she  laughed  very  much  and  said :  "  That 
depends  upon  yourself,  for  I  shall  always  be  pleased  to 
see  you  whenever  you  like  to  come.  As  soon  as  Indira 
is  better  we  shall  dine  with  you  almost  every  night. 
This  purdah  system  is  very  absurd ;  but  popular  opinion 
is  in  favour  of  it,  and  so  one  has  to  reckon  with  it 
and  avoid  offending  other  people  as  far  as  possible. 
So  many  of  the  officers  of  the  Court  are  relatives  or 
connections  of  the  Maharaja  or  of  myself  that  there 
is  very  little  difficulty,  and  the  servants  who  wait  at 
the  table  when  I  am  there  are  carefully  chosen  and 
do  not  speak  Mahratti,  so  that  we  can  talk  among 
ourselves  sans  gene.  You  must  try  to  learn  to  speak 
it ;  but  it  is  not  an  easy  language." 

She  also  told  me  that  she  has  several  very  intimate 
friends  among  the  English  people  in  the  Camp,  but 
not  many,  as  they  are  constantly  changing,  and  she 
dislikes  the  feeling  that  people  may  come  to  see  her 
merely  out  of  curiosity  as  a  sort  of  spectacle.  "  Though 
indeed,"  she  added  with  a  smile,  "  I  might  have  got 
used  to  that  in  America,  for  there  they  made  a 
regular  peep-show  of  us.  But  in  America  one  must 
do  what  the  Americans  do ;  there  would  be  no  peace 

17  2 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

otherwise ;  and  when  you  have  caught  the  humour  of 
the  situation  it  is  quite  amusing." 

She  then  told  me  about  their  visit  to  the  States 
and  sent  a  servant  for  an  album  of  newspaper  cuttings, 
in  which  she  showed  me  several  comical  pictures, 
among  them  one  of  her  own  foot. 

You  would  be  surprised  to  hear  how  fluently  she 
talks,  using  the  most  perfect  English  with  the  greatest 
ease ;  much  better,  indeed,  than  I  do  myself,  for  my 
conversation  is  rather  slovenly,  especially  when  I  am 
at  all  nervous  or  excited. 

The  time  had  passed  so  quickly  that  I  was  surprised 
to  hear  it  strike  three,  and  got  up  to  go,  but  Her 
Highness  said  that  she  would  give  me  some  tea  first, 
and  clapped  her  hands  for  a  servant  to  ask  the 
Maharaja  if  he  could  come. 

In  India  there  are  no  bells ;  you  just  clap  your  hands 
lightly  and  someone  appears,  like  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lamp.  The  servants  are  wonderfully  patient,  and  sit  for 
hours  outside  your  room  chatting  quietly  to  one  another 
or  reading,  generally  some  little  English  "  Reading 
without  Tears  "  kind  of  book,  as  they  are  all  fearfully 
keen  to  be  taken  to  England  some  day.  At  first  they 
all  tried  to  get  out  of  it,  but  now  they  are  wild  to  go. 

The  Maharani  then  opened  the  lid  of  a  fine 
Bluthner  grand  piano  and  asked  me  to  play  to  her, 
so  I  gave  her  a  little  selection  from  lolanthe  and 
sang  her  a  song  which  I  had  written  about  the 
officers  on  the  Macedonia,  which  she  liked  very  much. 

18 


OCTOBER 

When  tea  was  brought  she  made  it  herself  and  it 
was  most  delicious.  With  the  tea  came  His  Highness 
in  a  white  flannel  suit ;  he  had  been  working  with 
his  secretaries  all  the  afternoon  and  was  looking 
forward  to  a  game  of  tennis,  so  as  soon  as  we  had 
finished  Her  Highness  packed  me  off,  saying  that  she 
was  expecting  some  visitors,  old-fashioned  ladies  who 
would  be  horrified  if  they  found  me  there. 

When  I  had  changed  I  joined  His  Highness  in  the 
hall  and  we  walked  together  down  the  shady  avenues 
of  the  park  to  the  tennis-courts.  On  the  way  we  saw 
three  little  carriages  approaching,  like  biscuit-boxes 
on  wheels,  each  drawn  by  two  milk-white  bullocks, 
meandering  slowly  along,  with  curtains  closely  drawn, 
behind  which,  no  doubt,  the  "  old-fashioned  ladies " 
were  sitting. 

Sampatrao  and  Nimbalker  were  waiting  for  us  at 
the  courts,  and  we  played  five  sets  with  great  energy. 
The  courts  are  made  of  asphalt  and  play  very  fast, 
the  nets,  balls  and  racquets  being  all  of  the  best  and 
latest  English  make.  The  ground  is  enclosed  by  a 
high  wire  netting,  and  ten  boys  in  green  and  gold 
uniforms,  with  bare  legs,  field  the  balls,  so  the  game 
goes  merrily  on  with  the  least  possible  delay. 

When  we  were  tired  we  found  a  table  spread 
under  the  trees  with  lemon-squash  and  other  cooling 
drinks  and  cigarettes,  of  which  I  was  very  glad,  as  I 
had  never  been  so  hot  before. 

In    this     dry     climate     there     is     little     danger     of 

IQ  2* 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

catching  cold,  but  His  Highness  is  not  going  to  let 
me  run  any  risks,  and  made  me  go  to  a  small  pavilion 
close  at  hand  and  change  into  the  warmer  clothing 
which  my  servants  had  brought  down. 

The  Maharaja's  motor-car  had  meanwhile  come  up, 
and  we  went  for  a  drive,  first  going  slowly  round  the 
palace  "  compound,"  as  the  beautiful  park  is  called. 
The  riding-track  by  which  it  is  bounded  is  about 
four  miles  long,  and  it  has  been  planted  and  laid  out 
in  beautiful  walks  and  drives  by  an  expert  hand.  We 
passed  first  by  the  handsome  building  which  was 
erected  as  a  school  for  the  Maharaja  himself  when  he 
was  a  boy,  and  which  has  since  been  used  for  the 
education  of  his  children.  Part  of  it  is  the  home  of 
the  fine  library  of  ancient  and  modern  books  on 
every  subject  which  His  Highness  has  collected ;  and 
the  large  central  hall  is  now  used  for  luncheon  parties 
on  days  when  there  is  a  cricket  match. 

The  cricket-ground  is  just  in  front  of  it,  and  is 
said  to  be  the  best  in  India ;  the  turf  is  absolutely 
level,  and  is  sown  with  the  finest  grass-seed,  which  is 
carefully  watered  and  rolled  every  day.  A  broad 
circular  drive  forms  the  boundary,  an  idea  which  was 
suggested  by  Fenner's  Piece  at  Cambridge ;  and 
beyond  this  are  groups  of  noble  trees,  under  which 
many  hundreds  of  spectators  can  watch  the  progress 
of  the  match. 

Passing  by  the  racquet-court  and  fives-courts,  we 
entered  the  Maharani's  garden,  which  is  under  her 

20 


OCTOBER 

special  care ;  it  extends  over  about  ten  acres,  and  is 
planted  with  orange-trees,  mangoes  and  every  kind  of 
fruit  that  can  be  grown  in  India.  Leaving  this,  the 
drive  passes  by  the  lodge  gates  which  lead  to  the 
Gaekwar's  private  railway  station  on  the  Bombay 
and  Baroda  main  line,  which  is  also  the  terminus  of 
the  system  of  light  railway  lines  which  he  had  laid 
through  his  own  dominions.  Then  for  some  distance 
it  skirts  the  beautiful  Vishnamitri  river,  on  which 
there  is  a  boat-house,  a  rifle-range,  and  the  temple, 
from  which  there  is  a  magnificent  view  of  the  palace 
down  the  long  avenue  ;  and  then  passes  the  spacious 
parade-ground  where  reviews  are  sometimes  held,  the 
guard-room,  the  stables,  and  so  back  to  the  palace. 

Here  we  were  joined  by  Her  Highness  and  were 
soon  going  at  full  speed  across  the  park,  over  the 
railway  and  out  into  the  country,  over  excellent  roads, 
among  fields  of  waving  red  and  yellow  grass  inter- 
spersed with  emerald-green  wheat.  The  red  gold  of 
the  setting  sun  flooded  the  trees  and  fields  with  an 
indescribably  beautiful  light.  Strings  of  bullock-carts 
wended  their  way  lazily  along  the  roads,  and  troops 
of  donkeys  wandered  along  the  roadside.  Here  and 
there  the  gaunt  form  of  a  camel  stalking  along  with 
his  nose  in  the  air  rose  weird  and  solitary  against  the 
skyline.  Picturesque  groups  of  natives  crouched 
round  camp-fires,  and  all  was  still  except  for  the  dis- 
tant sound  of  a  temple  bell  throbbing  through  the 
warm  air. 

21 


A  YEAR   WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 

The  Maharaja  spoke  of  the  uneducated  losing  so 
much  pleasure  in  their  lives  through  lack  of  the 
power  to  appreciate  what  is  beautiful,  and  we  talked 
of  the  education  that  was  to  bring  them  this  power 
and  many  other  powers  besides,  the  education  that 
was  to  bridge  the  gulf  between  the  East  and  the 
West  and  make  all  who  possessed  it  able  to  meet  on 
an  equal  footing. 

We  reached  home  soon  after  eight  o'clock  and  had 
just  time  to  dress  for  dinner,  which  was  served  at 
half-past  eight.  No  ladies  were  present ;  but  His 
Highness  had  invited  several  of  my  old  friends  to 
meet  me,  among  them  my  old  pupil  Baba  Saheb, 
whom  I  was  very  pleased  to  see  again.  He  was  look- 
ing very  well  and  prosperous,  though  he  is  getting 
rather  stout  and  lazy ;  however  the  Maharaja  makes 
him  work  and  has  given  him  a  small  unpaid  post  in 
one  of  the  Government  offices,  from  which  he  must 
work  his  way  up  as  best  he  can ;  for  no  incompetent 
people  are  encouraged  in  Baroda,  even  when  they  are 
relatives.  He  is  to  be  married  next  month  and  has 
asked  me  to  go  to  his  wedding. 

Sampatrao  was  there  again  and  was  telling  us  of  a 
shooting  expedition  in  Somaliland  from  which  he 
has  just  returned.  He  is  a  very  voluble  talker  and 
rattles  along  in  the  most  amusing  way.  Every  now 
and  then  he  drops  into  the  vernacular,  and  then  the 
Gaekwar  calls  out,  "  Speak  English,  please,  and  then 
Weeden  will  understand,"  and  Sampatrao,  who  has 

22 


OCTOBER 

said  something  which  he  did  not  wish  me  to  hear,  has  to 
wriggle  out  of  it  as  best  he  can  amid  great  laughter. 

When  dinner  was  over  we  followed  His  Highness  to 
the  large  open  terrace  over  the  grand  entrance,  which 
had  been  covered  with  a  thick  carpet  and  furnished 
with  chairs  and  tables,  where  we  found  coffee  and 
cigars,  and  presently  we  sat  down  to  play  Bridge,  the 
Gaekwar  and  Baba  Saheb  against  Samapatrao  and 
myself.  When  we  were  game  all  His  Highness  dealt 
and  declared  No  Trumps.  I  held  all  the  Clubs 
except  the  ace,  so  I  played  the  king.  Sampatrao 
played  a  small  one,  covered  my  queen  with  the  ace, 
and  had  no  more  to  return ;  and  His  Highness, 
bubbling  over  with  merriment,  captured  the  rest  of 
the  tricks  and  the  rubber,  and  smacked  me  on  the 
back  in  high  glee,  congratulating  me  ironically  on  the 
wonderful  skill  of  my  partner.  Sampatrao,  who  is 
evidently  a  bit  of  a  courtier,  joined  in  the  laugh 
against  himself  with  great  composure.  Luckily  we 
were  only  playing  for  love,  as  His  Highness  does  not 
approve  of  gambling. 

Soon  after  ten  o'clock  the  Maharaja  bade  us  good- 
night and  went  off  to  bed,  and  the  guests  drove 
away.  When  I  got  to  my  room  I  found  Sanka  in 
command,  very  happy  and  triumphant.  He  had  told 
the  Gaekwar  of  my  difficulty  in  making  the  servants 
understand  what  I  wanted,  and  had  immediately  been 
appointed  head  of  my  domestic  staff.  Under  his 
directions  I  was  undressed  and  arrayed  in  my  sleeping- 

23 


A   YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

suit  with  much  ceremony,  and  then  he  suggested 
that  if  I  would  like  to  be  massaged  there  was  a 
man  there  who  was  very  good  at  it ;  so  I  had  my 
feet  and  hands  done,  and  very  soothing  and  refreshing 
it  was.  When  he  came  to  the  ringers  and  toes  he 
pulled  each  one  of  them  until  it  cracked.  One  was 
very  obstinate  and  refused  to  crack,  and  he  worked 
away  at  it  with  a  most  comical  expression  on  his  face, 
and  seemed  much  relieved  when  at  last  it  yielded  to  his 
persuasive  manipulation.  Sanka  meanwhile  had  looked 
through  all  my  linen  and  found  that  I  had  quite 
enough  for  the  present.  He  produced  a  list  which 
he  had  made  of  it,  beautifully  written  in  English,  and 
I  thanked  my  lucky  star  for  having  sent  me  such  a 
treasure. 

When  he  and  his  satellites  had  disappeared  with 
profuse  salaams  behind  the  curtains  I  sat  for  some 
time  out  on  the  verandah  smoking  a  final  cigarette 
and  reviewing  the  various  events  of  the  day.  Over- 
head the  stars  were  blazing  with  a  brilliancy  quite 
new  to  me,  and  their  light  was  reflected  in  the 
waters  of  the  lake  below.  A  gentle  breeze  carried 
the  peculiar  aromatic  fragrance  of  the  East  over  the 
warm  air,  and  silence  reigned  supreme  save  for  the 
gentle  murmur  of  rustling  leaves.  One  by  one  the 
great  arc  lamps  in  the  gardens  flickered  out,  and  the 
trees  of  the  park  stood  revealed,  silhouetted  against 
the  clear  dark-blue  sky. 

Suddenly  the  stillness  was  broken  by  the  measured 

24 


OCTOBER 

tramp  of  horses,  and  looking  over  the  parapet,  I  saw 
far  below  a  small  troop  of  mounted  soldiers  pacing 
slowly  by  to  change  the  guard,  looking  like  ghosts  in 
their  long  grey  cloaks,  their  naked  swords  gleaming 
against  their  shoulders ;  faithful  guardians  of  the  royal 
home  which  was  to  be  my  home  for  months  to 
come ;  the  advance  guard  of  many  a  brilliant  spectacle 
which  I  was  to  be  privileged  to  witness.  With  a 
sigh  of  contentment  at  the  kindness  of  fortune  I 
returned  to  my  room,  and  slipping  under  the 
mosquito-curtains  hanging  round  the  bed,  was  soon 
fast  asleep  between  sheets  of  finest  damask  on  pillows 
of  softest  down,  dreaming  of  wonders  past,  present 
and  to  come. 

So  ended  my  first  day  at  Baroda.  Other  days  have 
passed  since  then,  but  they  must  wait  while  I  make  a 
feeble  attempt  to  describe  the  beautiful  palace  in 
which  I  am  lodged.  It  is  a  magnificent  building  of 
white  stone  inlaid  with  marble  of  various  colours,  in 
which  its  architect,  the  late  Major  Mant,  R.E.,  has 
successfully  combined  the  styles  of  Northern,  Central 
and  Southern  India. 

In  the  centre  are  the  Maharaja's  apartments.  They 
are  approached  by  a  portico  of  noble  dimensions, 
under  which  the  tallest  elephant  with  the  largest 
howdah  on  his  back  can  pass  with  plenty  of  room  to 
spare.  Three  broad  steps,  on  which  sentries  in 
gorgeous  uniforms  are  posted,  lead  into  a  lofty  hall 
of  white  marble,  opening  at  the  top  into  a  gallery  of 

25 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

carved  cedar.  The  hall  is  paved  with  a  very  rare 
green  marble  of  great  beauty  which  is  found  only  in 
the  Gaekwar's  territory,  and  in  the  middle  is  a  table 
of  the  same  marble,  at  which  His  Highness  can 
transact  any  pressing  business  that  may  await  him  on 
his  return.  In  it  are  four  bronze  statues,  the  work 
of  a  famous  French  sculptor,  representing  a  Dancing 
Girl,  a  Fakir,  a  Water-Carrier,  and  a  Huntsman  with 
two  cheetahs  in  leash,  each  of  which  is  a  portrait  of 
a  well-known  character  in  Baroda.  Its  coolness 
affords  a  most  welcome  relief  from  the  heat  and 
glare  outside.  More  steps  lead  through  two  archways 
into  a  long  gallery  paved  with  coloured  marble,  off 
which  open  the  waiting  and  reception  rooms  and  the 
rooms  of  the  various  officers  on  duty. 

Right  in  front  is  another  large  hall,  in  which  stand 
three  large  tigers  which  have  fallen  to  the  Maharaja's 
rifle,  and  other  trophies  of  the  chase ;  and  from  it 
rises  the  grand  staircase  of  white  marble  inlaid  with 
gold,  the  walls  of  which  are  covered  with  peacocks 
and  other  birds  of  brilliant  plumage  in  mosaic. 

At  the  top  of  the  staircase  is  the  gallery  surround- 
ing the  entrance  hall  and  leading  to  the  broad 
terrace  over  the  portico ;  and  right  and  left  runs 
another  beautiful  gallery,  supported  by  white  carved 
stone  pillars,  from  which  you  enter  the  drawing- 
room,  library,  reading-room  and  the  Maharaja's  study. 
Three  beautiful  courts  with  palms  and  fountains 
separate  the  dining-room  from  the  billiard-room  and 

26 


OCTOBER 

the    small    Durbar   hall ;     and    the    Gaekwar's    private 
rooms  are  at  the  back. 

On  the  floor  above  are  Prince  Shivajirao's  rooms 
and  those  allotted  to  me,  opening  on  to  the  beautiful 
roof  gardens  of  the  palace,  which  command  a  lovely 
view  of  the  park  and  of  the  domes  and  minarets  of 
the  city  rising  from  the  trees.  The  whole  is  crowned 
by  the  great  central  dome  and  by  the  graceful  tower 
springing  two  hundred  feet  into  the  air. 

The  southern  wing  of  the  palace  is  reserved  for 
the  use  of  the  Maharani,  and  is,  appropriately  enough, 
built  in  the  more  graceful  and  florid  style  of  Southern 
India,  the  home  of  the  extremely  ancient  royal  house 
from  which  Her  Highness  is  descended.  The  arrange- 
ments are  very  much  the  same  as  in  the  central 
block,  Her  Highness'  apartments  being  on  the  first 
floor,  with  those  of  Princess  Indira  above  them,  and 
the  ground  floor  being  used  by  the  officials  of  their 
household.  They  are  approached  by  a  portico  and 
staircase  rather  different  in  design  from  the  main 
entrance  but  quite  equal  to  it  in  spaciousness  and 
beauty.  Just  within  is  a  carefully  guarded  shrine 
dedicated  to  the  goddess  Lakshmi,  from  which  the 
palace  takes  its  name — Lakshmivilas,  the  "  abode  of 
the  goddess  of  wealth."  This  name  is  seldom  used, 
Raj  Mahal,  the  "  royal  abode  "  being  more  convenient 
and  homely.  The  shrine  is  served  by  a  special  staff 
of  priests,  and  night  and  day  lights  and  incense  are 
kept  burning  before  the  sacred  image. 

27 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

At  the  back  a  large  hall  is  being  built  in  which 
the  Maharani  will  hold  receptions ;  it  is  being  deco- 
rated by  some  of  the  most  skilled  artists  in  India,  and 
will  probably  be  the  most  beautiful  part  of  the 
palace  when  it  is  completed. 

At  present  the  chief  glory  of  Raj  Mahal  is  the 
great  Durbar  hall,  which  occupies  the  whole  of  the 
north  wing  and  is  built  in  the  more  severe  style  of 
Northern  India,  seven  stately  domes  rising  from  the 
spacious  terrace  that  forms  its  roof.  No  furniture 
detracts  from  the  effect  of  its  magnificent  proportions 
save  the  dais  at  the  end  on  which  the  throne  stands. 
It  is  paved  with  costly  mosaic  work  and  surrounded 
by  a  gallery  of  most  exquisitely  carved  lattice-work 
in  cedar,  and  beneath  the  roof : 

"  Bright  Seraphim,  in  burning  row 
Their  loud,  uplifted,  angel-trumpets  blow." 

I  have  never  seen  any  other  audience-chamber  which 
so  vividly  recalls  the  description  in  "  The  Eve  of  St. 
Agnes " — 

"  The  level  chambers,  ready  with  their  pride, 

Were  glowing  to  receive  a  thousand  guests. 
The  carved  angels,  ever  eager-eyed, 

Stared,  where  upon  their  heads  the  cornice  rests, 

With  hair  blown  back,  and  wings  put  cross-wise  on  their  breasts." 

And  this  chamber  can  glow  with  a  vengeance,  for 
from  the  carved  ceiling  hang  twelve  great  chandeliers 
of  finest  crystal  whose  facets  reflect  the  light  of  a 
thousand  electric  globes  cunningly  concealed  amongst 

28 


OCTOBER 

them.  It  is  entered  through  the  third  great  porch, 
at  which  the  general  public  alight  when  they  come 
to  write  their  names  in  the  visitors'  book  kept  in  a 
comfortably  furnished  ante-room,  where  those  who 
have  come  upon  business  can  pass  the  time  of  waiting 
at  a  table  covered  with  papers  and  periodicals. 

And  now  I  can  hear  you  saying  that  you  have  had 
quite  enough  about  the  palace,  and  that  you  are 
wondering  whether  they  give  me  anything  that  I  can 
eat.  Set  your  mind  at  rest  on  that  score ;  the  food 
is  excellent  and  is  sent  up  every  day  by  the  principal 
caterer  in  Bombay. 

The  two  chief  meals  of  the  day — breakfast  at  eleven 
and  dinner  at  half-past  eight — which  I  always  have 
with  the  Maharaja,  are  very  much  what  you  would 
get  at  a  first-class  restaurant  in  London — Prince's  or 
the  Carlton ;  they  are  prepared  by  a  French  cook 
and  served  under  the  experienced  eye  of  an  English 
maitre  d'hotel,  Mr.  Pluck,  a  very  imposing  person  in  a 
fine  dark-blue  coat  with  a  velvet  collar  and  gold 
buttons,  with  a  ribbon  in  his  buttonhole,  who  was 
butler  to  Lord  Ampthill  when  he  was  Governor  of 
Madras.  I  was  rather  frightened  of  him  at  first, 
but  he  has  now  set  me  at  ease,  and  generally  makes  a 
point  of  pouring  me  out  a  glass  of  water,  bringing 
me  the  mustard,  or  showing  me  some  other  little 
attention. 

When  there  are  English  guests  there  are  the  usual 
kind  of  drinks,  whisky  and  hock  with  seltzer  at  break- 

29 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

fast,  and  champagne  and  port  at  dinner,  with  liqueurs 
afterwards ;  but  when  we  are  alone  we  all  drink 
water,  which  is  very  good  and  kept  beautifully  cool 
in  silver  flagons.  The  Maharaja  never  drinks  anything 
but  water,  and  only  one  glass  of  that  half  an  hour 
after  each  meal,  as  he  does  not  want  to  grow  stout, 
most  Indians  being  inclined  to  run  to  fat.  He  uses 
tea  and  coffee  very  sparingly  and  does  not  smoke 
more  than  ten  or  twelve  cigarettes  a  week. 

The  sincerest  form  of  flattery  being  here  held  in 
high  esteem,  smoking  in  the  palace  is  not  fashionable; 
but  an  exception  is  made  in  my  favour  and  I  am  at 
liberty  to  indulge  my  pet  vice  when  and  where  I 
please ;  and  I  have  the  less  scruple  about  this  as  His 
Highness  has  little  or  no  sense  of  smell.  His  hearing, 
however,  is  very  acute  and  his  sight  good,  though  he 
uses  glasses  for  reading,  generally  gold-rimmed 
spectacles,  which  he  assumes  in  a  very  professional 
way.  I  think  that  they  really  are  helpful  to  him, 
though  Indians  seem  to  take  a  childlike  pleasure  in 
putting  them  on  as  a  dignified  and  becoming 
ornament. 

The  arrangements  of  the  table  are  perfect.  The 
linen  is  specially  woven  in  Belfast ;  the  plates  and 
dishes  are  usually  of  silver,  with  gold  for  great 
occasions,  and  there  seems  to  be  an  endless  supply  of 
them.  The  Gaekwar  explained  to  me  one  day  that 
they  are  more  economical  than  china,  as  they  are  not 
easily  broken ;  and  smiled  rather  grimly  when  I  said 

30 


OCTOBER 

that  I  would  certainly   take    a    set    back   with    me    to 
England. 

Silver  is  no  more  accounted  of  here  than  it  was  in 
the  days  of  Solomon.  Everything  that  we  are 
accustomed  to  see  at  home  made  of  wood  and  china, 
chairs,  tables,  beds,  water-jugs  and  so  on,  are  here 
made  of  gold  and  silver. 

Each  Maharaja  as  he  succeeds  to  the  throne  likes 
to  have  something  new,  and  the  treasures  of  his 
predecessors  are  stowed  away  in  vaults  and  lumber- 
rooms  ;  so  that  when  the  Gaekwar  wants  a  new 
dinner-service,  all  that  he  has  to  do  is  to  melt  down 
so  much  silver  and  send  it  to  Bond  Street,  from 
which  it  returns  brought  up  to  date ;  and  still  the 
store  is  undiminished.  There  is  also  a  profusion  of 
fine  porcelain  and  cut  glass,  into  which  the  red  and 
gold  in  the  turbans  of  the  guests  throw  lively  notes 
of  colour,  and  all  is  crowned  with  flowers,  so  that 
nothing  could  exceed  the  picturesque  look  of  the 
table. 

And  in  the  midst  of  all  this  splendour,  the  centre 
and  object  of  all  this  wealth  and  luxury,  there  sits 
the  homely  figure  of  the  Gaekwar,  almost  pathetic  in 
the  simplicity  of  his  white  robes,  without  a  jewel  on 
his  dress,  without  a  ring  on  his  finger ;  never  with 
even  a  shilling  in  his  pocket.  A  man  so  careless 
about  money  that  until  a  few  years  ago  he  did  not 
trouble  to  know  one  coin  from  another,  utterly 
indifferent  to  the  value  of  the  treasures  which 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 

surround  him,  except  in  so  far  as  they   are    beautiful, 
useful  and  seemly. 

There  is  no  waste  or  extravagance,  for  everything 
is  perfectly  managed  by  a  vast  machinery  of  clerks 
and  departments ;  the  spirit  of  the  Maharaja  pervades 
and  animates  everything ;  his  personal  touch  is 
impressed  on  all  who  are  associated  with  him ;  but 
he  himself  does  not  condescend  to  details.  He  has 
the  simplicity  of  a  great  mind  and  a  keen  sense  of 
the  beautiful.  His  personal  tastes  are  of  the  simplest, 
and  though  he  does  not  shrink  from  the  pomp  and 
ceremony  that  must  attend  him  in  his  State  because 
it  pleases  his  people,  he  looks  upon  it  with  the 
indulgent  smile  of  one  who  has  learnt  to  estimate  it 
at  its  true  value. 

In  spite  of  so  much  that  is  modern,  the  impression 
that  I  have  suddenly  stepped  into  an  "  Arabian 
Nights "  story  is  still  strong  upon  me.  Indeed,  so 
far  as  I  am  able  to  analyse  my  feelings,  the  chief 
fascination  lies  in  this  curious  intermingling  of  East 
and  West  which  I  am  beginning  vaguely  to  realize, 
though  I  have  been  thrown  among  it  so  suddenly 
that  I  am  hardly  yet  able  to  distinguish  one  from 
the  other.  Perhaps  next  month  I  shall  have  my 
thoughts  in  better  order  and  be  able  to  express  more 
clearly  what  I  mean,  but  I  have  already  seen  enough 
to  fill  me  with  amazement  at  the  startlingly  modern 
personality  of  the  Gaekwar,  standing  almost  alone 
amid  the  most  incongruous  surroundings. 

32 


NOVEMBER 

A  FTER  a  week  of  sight-seeing,  about  which  I  will 
**  tell  you  something  presently,  we  have  settled 
down  into  a  rather  more  peaceful  existence  and  the 
daily  round  is  growing  more  like  that  which  one 
enjoys  in  a  large  country-house  in  England.  This  is 
chiefly  due  to  the  arrival  of  Shivajirao,  who  came 
down  a  week  ago  after  having  floored  the  examiners 
in  Bombay.  When  I  last  saw  him  he  had  just  put 
away  the  Highland  kilt  of  childhood  and  advanced  to 
the  dignity  of  an  Eton  jacket.  He  has  now  grown 
into  such  a  fine  young  man,  tall  and  strong  and  with 
good  looks  above  the  average.  We  were  a  little  shy 
with  one  another  at  first,  but  that  soon  wore  off  and 
we  are  now  great  friends ;  so  much  so  that  I  am 
sometimes  afraid  that  the  Maharaja  may  feel  a  little 
jealous,  as  we  are  together  from  the  first  thing  in  the 
morning  till  the  last  thing  at  night. 

Shivajirao  is  very  fond  of  riding,  and  he  had  not 
been  in  Baroda  many  hours  before  he  carried  me  off 
with  him  to  the  stables.  These  are  in  the  compound 
about  five  hundred  yards  from  the  palace,  behind  a 
thick  grove  of  trees.  They  are  divided  into  four  great 

33  3 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

courts  :  in  the  first  are  the  gold  and  silver  carriages 
which  are  shown  to  visitors  and  used  on  certain  great 
occasions,  quite  a  dozen  of  them,  made  of  solid  gold 
with  silver  wheels  and  india-rubber  tyres,  with  harness 
and  all  to  match;  victorias,  landaus  and  wagonettes. 
The  prettiest  of  all  are  the  bullock  carts,  with  the 
cloth  of  gold  with  which  the  bullocks  are  covered 
from  head  to  foot  and  the  scores  of  gold  and  silver 
bells  with  which  they  are  decked.  Behind  each 
carriage  is  a  large  glass  case,  in  which  all  these  beau- 
tiful things  are  displayed.  The  rest  of  the  court  is 
occupied  by  coach-houses  for  the  carriages  kept  for 
the  use  of  their  Highnesses,  all  of  which  are  of  the 
latest  modern  English  build.  There  are  also  four 
large  motor-cars,  two  belonging  to  the  Gaekwar  and 
the  others  to  the  Maharani  and  Shivajirao.  Two  of 
the  chauffeurs  are  Italians,  the  other  two  being 
Eurasians.  In  the  centre  of  this  court  is  a  Hindu 
cemple,  where  the  half-naked  stable-boys  may  frequently 
be  seen  performing  their  ablutions  and  other  devo- 
tions. In  the  second  court  are  kept  the  carriages 
used  by  State  officials  and  other  people  in  the 
Gaekwar's  service ;  and  in  the  third  are  the  horses 
maintained  for  their  use.  The  fourth  court  is  by  far 
the  most  fascinating  and  picturesque :  here  are  kept 
the  horses  which  the  Royal  family  use  for  riding  and 
driving,  Arabs,  Walers,  English  thoroughbreds,  Irish 
hunters,  such  darlings,  poking  their  noses  over  the 
doors  of  their  loose-boxes  to  see  who  is  coming. 

34 


NOVEMBER 

The  floor  of  the  court  is  covered  with  tan  and 
planted  with  trees,  forming  a  delightful  riding  school, 
and  in  the  centre  is  a  great  well.  Here  we  were  met 
by  Sergeant-Ma j or  Faye,  a  pleasant  and  obliging  Irish 
soldier,  who  has  the  charge  of  the  stables  and  drives 
His  Highness.  Chairs  were  brought  and  we  sat  in  the 
shade  while  Shivajirao's  polo  ponies,  beautiful  animals 
all  of  them,  were  led  round  by  grooms.  The  next 
thing  we  had  to  do  was  to  choose  a  horse  for  me. 
After  trying  several,  I  fell  in  love  with  two  of  them, 
far  and  away  the  most  perfect  horses  I  have  ever 
ridden.  The  first,  Dilrubah,  a  beautiful  white  Arab,  is 
one  of  the  great  pets  of  the  stable  and  is  wonderfully 
clever.  While  one  of  the  grooms  played  a  weird  tune 
on  a  pipe,  he  paced  along  keeping  perfect  time  to  the 
music,  waving  his  lovely  mane,  and  his  long,  flowing 
tail ;  and  then,  at  a  given  signal,  rose  on  his  hind  legs 
and  walked  along  beating  the  air  with  his  fore-legs  in 
the  most  enchanting  manner.  The  other,  Slowcoach, 
is  a  Waler,  and  more  like  a  human  being  than  a 
horse :  Shivajirao  bought  him  as  a  polo  pony,  but 
found  that  he  was  not  quick  enough.  He  is  wonder- 
fully docile  and  intelligent,  and  trots  as  well  as  he 
canters,  which  is  a  great  thing,  as  most  of  the  horses 
here  are  encouraged  to  canter  at  the  expense  of  their 
trotting. 

So  now  the  first  event  of  the  day  is  the  early 
morning  ride.  As  soon  as  the  first  glimmer  of  light 
appears,  Sanka  brings  my  chota  hazri  of  fragrant  tea, 

35  3* 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE  GAEKWAR 

toast,  omelette  and  fruit,  which  I  eat  while  I  am 
being  dressed,  for  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost.  The 
horses  are  already  waiting  down  below,  led  up  and 
down  by  grooms. 

I  look  over  the  balcony  and  call  to  Slowcoach,  who 
looks  up,  saying  as  plainly  as  possible  that  he  hopes  I 
shall  not  forget  to  slip  an  apple  into  my  pocket  for 
him  :  so  in  it  goes,  and  a  few  lumps  of  sugar  as  well. 
Then  to  Shivajirao's  rooms,  where  I  am  not  the  first 
visitor ;  his  cousin,  Pilajirao,  the  old  Harrow  boy,  is 
already  there  chatting  to  him,  while  two  servants  are 
pulling  on  his  top-boots,  and  a  third  is  folding  yard 
after  yard  of  muslin  round  his  head,  making  what  we 
should  call  a  turban,  but  which  they  call  a  jetah. 
Into  the  lift  we  go  and  are  soon  down  below  among 
our  beloved  steeds,  mounted  and  away. 

But  first  we  must  go  to  pick  up  Roger  Turnbull, 
Shivajirao's  tutor,  who  is  a  good  sportsman  as  well  as 
a  scholar,  and  lives  in  a  nice  bungalow  just  outside 
the  palace  compound.  He  is  waiting  for  us  and  we 
ride  leisurely  along  side  by  side  for  a  mile  or  more 
down  the  broad  road,  laughing  over  the  latest  bit  of 
scandal  from  the  mess  table  at  the  camp  where 
Turnbull  was  dining  last  night. 

Leaving  the  road  we  plunge  into  one  of  the 
innumerable  leafy  lanes  which  afford  delightful  rides 
round  Baroda  for  miles  in  every  direction ;  it  is 
narrow,  and  we  fall  into  single  file,  bending  our 
heads  occasionally  to  avoid  an  overhanging  branch, 

36 


NOVEMBER 

till  we  reach  a  village  of  small  mud  houses,  with 
here  and  there  a  more  pretentious  wooden  dwelling, 
with  its  tiny  temple  nestling  among  the  trees  on  the 
bank  of  a  large  tank  of  pure  water,  from  which  the 
women  are  filling  the  shining  pots  of  brass  which 
they  carry  on  their  heads. 

Here  the  path  broadens  into  a  wide  sandy  track, 
along  which  we  scamper  for  a  couple  of  miles,  and 
which  brings  us  out  on  to  an  open  common  covered 
with  stunted  trees  in  which  flocks  of  brilliant  parrots 
are  screaming.  A  herd  of  deer,  startled  at  our 
approach,  look  timidly  at  us,  and  then  make  off  with 
quick  bounds  until  they  disappear  in  the  distance : 
the  woods  through  which  we  pass  are  full  of  monkeys 
who  are  also  greatly  perturbed ;  with  shrill  cries  they 
call  to  their  little  ones,  who  come  running  up  to 
their  mothers,  and  cling  to  their  breasts  and  so  are 
carried  away  with  great  leaps  to  the  shelter  of  the 
tree  tops,  from  which  they  chatter  defiance  at  us. 
Then  a  steep,  rough  path  brings  us  to  a  ford  across 
the  river  through  which  we  splash,  urging  on  the 
horses,  which  would  like  to  stop  and  drink.  Once 
across,  we  give  them  their  heads  again  and  let  them 
scramble  up  the  bank  as  best  they  can,  and  then,  by 
more  winding  paths,  to  another  village,  where  a 
troop  of  savage  dogs  comes  yelping  at  our  heels :  the 
horses,  however,  are  used  to  them  and  treat  them 
with  contempt,  while  they,  for  their  part,  are  careful 
to  keep  out  of  range  of  our  whips. 

37 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 

As  we  are  leaving  the  village  we  meet  a  herd  of 
buffaloes  completely  blocking  up  the  narrow  path; 
they  lower  their  heads  as  if  to  charge  us,  but  the 
men  driving  them  soon  clear  them  out  of  the  way  of 
the  sahibs,  and  they  go  plunging  through  the  cactus 
hedges  on  either  side,  or  flying  in  utter  rout  before 
us.  In  pity  for  their  poor,  patient  owners,  who  may 
find  it  a  morning's  work  to  collect  them  again,  we 
cut  them  off  one  by  one  with  shouts  and  laughter  till 
we  have  passed  them  all,  and  find  ourselves  eventually 
on  another  broad  road  which  will  bring  us  out,  after 
a  few  miles,  on  to  the  race-course.  Far  away  over 
the  trees  the  graceful  tower  of  Raj  Mahal  rises  into 
the  cloudless  sky,  a  beautiful  land-mark  in  whatever 
direction  we  may  be,  and  warns  us  that  it  is  time  to 
be  turning  our  horses'  heads  homewards.  They  are 
still  fresh  enough  for  a  race,  however,  and  when  we 
reach  the  race-course  we  have  one,  Slowcoach,  the 
keenest  of  all,  straining  every  nerve  not  to  be  left 
behind.  The  race-course  is  a  complete  circle  two 
miles  long;  a  good  road  runs  parallel  with  it,  and 
the  land  inside  is  occupied  by  several  small  farms. 
It  is  kept  in  good  order,  and  each  furlong  is  marked 
by  a  post  in  the  hedge. 

As  we  pass  the  Grand  Stand  we  see  a  motor-car 
waiting  there,  and  the  chauffeur  calls  out  to  warn  us 
that  His  Highness  is  riding  not  far  ahead  with  the 
Princess,  so  we  pull  up  a  bit  and  soon  catch  them 
up.  It  is  the  first  morning  that  Princess  Indiraraja 

38 


NOVEMBER 

has  been  out  since  her  illness,  and  you  can  imagine 
what  a  joyful  surprise  it  is  to  me  to  meet  her  so 
unexpectedly.  She  is  looking  awfully  nice,  sitting 
astride  her  horse  in  a  dark  grey  frock-coated  suit 
which  fits  her  beautiful  figure  so  perfectly  that  it  is 
evidently  not  the  work  of  an  Indian  tailor.  Under 
her  hard  felt  hat  her  lovely  dark  hair  is  gathered  into 
a  heavy  plait  that  falls  below  her  waist.  She  is  still 
rather  pale,  but  the  exercise  has  already  brought  a 
faint  rose-pink  flush  to  her  olive  cheeks. 

When  I  last  saw  her  she  was  a  schoolgirl  at  East- 
bourne, charming  enough  certainly  as  I  remember  her 
rushing  into  the  drawing-room,  wild  with  delight  at 
seeing  her  parents  again,  with  a  magnificent  mane  of 
hair  flowing  over  her  shoulders;  but  I  was  hardly 
prepared  to  see  such  a  beautiful  woman  as  she  has 
become  in  three  short  years.  As  we  trotted  back  to 
the  palace  together,  she  talked  so  prettily  about 
Slowcoach  that  he  was  quite  delighted,  and  she  made 
me  admire  her  own  mount,  a  beautiful  mare  called 
Albela  given  her  by  the  Maharaja  of  Mysore. 

On  the  mornings  when  I  ride  with  the  Maharaja 
there  is  more  of  a  cavalcade ;  the  A.D.C.  on  duty 
always  comes  with  us,  and  there  are  generally  two  or 
three  other  friends  with  several  grooms  in  attendance. 
It  is  altogether  a  more  formal  affair  and  there  is  no 
scampering  gaily  across  country.  His  Highness  likes 
to  stick  to  the  high  road  and  to  go  straight  ahead 
without  stopping  for  anyone  or  anything,  so  that  one 

39 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

has  to  be  prepared  not  to  draw  rein  from  start  to 
finish.  He  does  not  care  about  going  very  fast  and 
always  has  his  horse  perfectly  under  control,  so  that 
it  is  sometimes  difficult,  especially  on  the  turf,  to 
prevent  one's  own  horse  getting  ahead  of  his,  which 
would  be  a  great  breach  of  etiquette.  He  talks 
nearly  all  the  time,  so  if  your  horse  is  a  bit  fresh 
your  attention  is  fully  occupied,  and  you  feel  on 
your  return  that  you  have  done  a  good  morning's  work. 

His  day's  work,  however,  is  only  just  beginning. 
At  the  end  of  the  long  corridor,  looking  down  into 
the  great  Durbar  hall,  are  two  charming  rooms  which 
are  always  beautifully  shady  and  fresh  in  the  morn- 
ing ;  and  here,  as  soon  as  we  have  bathed  and 
changed,  we  meet  every  day  at  about  half-past  nine  to 
read  till  breakfast. 

Faithful  to  our  old  traditions  we  keep  two  books 
going,  one  on  some  philosophical  or  scientific  subject 
and  one  of  general  literature.  The  first  is  chosen  by 
the  Maharaja,  the  second  by  myself,  and  as  he  likes 
big  books  and  I  like  little  ones  we  get  variety  in  this 
way.  We  have  embarked  on  the  Dialogues  of  Plato 
in  Jowett's  sumptuous  translation,  with  the  Greek 
text  handy  for  reference,  and  are  already  half  way 
through  the  Republic.  My  first  choice,  the  "Vicar 
of  Wakefield,"  was  a  very  happy  one,  as  he  liked  it 
very  much,  and  read  nearly  all  of  it  himself, 
though  we  are  by  way  of  taking  it  in  turns  to  read 
aloud.  De  Quincey's  Essays  were  not  so  successful ; 

40 


NOVEMBER 

but  Barrie's  "  Little  White  Bird "  seems  likely  to 
surpass  my  fondest  hopes.  The  laughter  in  it  is 
often  so  near  to  tears  and  the  humour  so  quaint  and 
modern  that  I  was  half  afraid  it  might  not  appeal 
to  the  Oriental  imagination,  but  the  Gaekwar's  alert 
mind  revels  in  grasping  new  ideas  and  penetrating 
subtleties  of  thought  and  expression.  He  has  fallen 
very  much  in  love  with  David,  and  when  that 
delightful  little  person  appears  on  the  scene  I  have 
to  hand  the  book  over,  not  unwillingly,  for  it  is  very 
pleasant  to  hear  the  Maharaja  read  aloud  when  he  is 
interested  in  his  subject. 

Sometimes,  when  a  new  idea  strikes  him  which  he 
would  like  to  develop  further,  the  Gaekwar  gives  a 
long,  low  whistle,  which  brings  the  A.D.C.  who  has 
been  sitting  reading  the  newspaper  in  the  next  room, 
and  who  makes  a  note  of  it  in  his  pocket-book. 
These  notes  are  transferred  from  time  to  time  to  the 
private  secretary,  who  tabulates  them,  and  they  are 
dealt  with  later  in  the  day.  I  must  tell  you  some- 
thing about  these  Aides.  There  used  to  be  fourteen 
of  them,  coming  on  duty  once  a  fortnight,  so  that 
they  never  learnt  their  work  properly,  and  were  more 
trouble  than  they  were  worth.  So  His  Highness 
made  them  pass  an  examination  and  chose  the  three 
best,  who  are  now  very  good  indeed.  Each  of  them 
is  on  duty  for  twenty-four  hours  at  a  time,  coming  to 
the  palace  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  sleep- 
ing in  his  apartments  on  the  ground  floor;  when  he 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

is  not  invited  to  the  Gaekwar's  table  he  has  his  meals 
with  the  other  officers  of  the  household.  When  on 
duty  they  wear  a  smart  military  uniform  of  white 
cloth  with  gold  buttons,  and  each  must  be  provided 
with  a  pencil,  a  note-book  and  a  pocket-knife.  They 
are  all  very  pleasant,  intelligent  men,  and  it  is  to 
them  that  I  go  when  I  want  any  matter  settled  with 
which  it  is  not  worth  while  to  trouble  His  Highness. 

Nimbalker,  whom  I  have  already  introduced  to  you, 
is  a  Maharatta  and  a  connection  of  the  Gaekwar's 
family.  He  knows  the  Maharaja  by  heart  and  gets  on 
very  well  with  him,  being  quick  to  anticipate  his 
wishes  and  to  offer  acceptable  counsel.  His  Highness 
is  fond  of  acting  on  the  spur  of  the  moment  and  likes 
to  exercise  his  privilege  of  changing  his  mind,  so  that 
it  is  not  always  easy  to  say  what  he  is  going  to  do ; 
but  Nimbalker's  barometer  is  seldom  at  fault.  He  is 
a  good  cricketer  and  tennis  player,  rides  well  and  can 
take  a  hand  at  bridge,  and  is  deservedly  popular  with 
all  in  Baroda,  English  or  native.  He  talks  well  and 
amusingly,  reads  a  great  deal,  and  has  been  round  the 
world  with  His  Highness,  so  that  he  is  a  very  pleasant 
companion. 

Shivraj  Sinhji  is  a  Rajput,  of  a  more  reserved  and 
conservative  type,  but  very  courteous  and  well- 
mannered. 

Parab,  the  third  of  the  trio,  is  amiability  itself, 
though  he  has  not  yet  acquired  the  s avoir  jaire  of  the 
others ;  his  long,  loose  limbs,  which  he  has  not  yet 

42 


NOVEMBER 

got  thoroughly  under  control,  give  him  the  appearance 
of  an  over-grown  schoolboy,  while  his  wandering  eyes 
and  absent-minded  remarks  betray  the  nervousness 
which  he  does  his  best  to  conceal. 

There  is  no  reason  why  anyone  should  be  nervous 
with  the  Maharaja,  as  he  is  wonderfully  patient  with 
the  crowd  of  stupid,  idle  servants  with  whom  it  is  a 
tradition  to  do  one  thing  only  and  to  do  that  as 
badly  as  possible  :  small  fines  are  sometimes  inflicted, 
but  no  one  is  ever  punished  at  all  seriously.  He  is 
gradually  having  some  of  them  trained  to  be  more 
useful,  but,  meanwhile,  his  English  valet  is  a  great 
comfort  to  him — a  capital  fellow  named  Neale  from 
the  Army. 

To-day  we  had  two  guests  at  breakfast,  Colonel 
Meade,  the  Resident  at  Baroda,  and  General  Evans- 
Gordon,  who  is  in  command  of  the  Gaekwar's  army. 

The  Resident  is  a  jolly,  easy-going  old  fellow,  short 
and  stout,  who  is  quite  happy,  so  long  as  he  gets  his 
golf  and  his  bridge  every  day ;  his  family  has  been 
connected  with  Baroda  for  many  years,  and  he  gets 
on  very  well  with  the  Gaekwar,  for  whom  he  evidently 
entertains  a  sincere  regard. 

The  General  is  an  elder  brother  of  my  old  friend 
Sir  William  Evans-Gordon,  and  is  a  perfectly  charming 
man  of  the  old  school,  with  beautiful  manners  and  an 
inexhaustible  supply  of  amusing  stories.  I  enjoyed 
meeting  him  very  much  and  hearing  all  the  latest 
news  of  his  brother  and  Lady  Tweeddale.  After  seven 

43 


A   YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

years  of  Stepney  and  undesirable  aliens,  Willie  has 
become  disillusioned  with  politics  and  has  returned  to 
his  beloved  'cello  and  the  goodly  company  of  musicians. 

After  breakfast  we  always  spend  an  hour  in  the 
billiard-room.  The  Gaekwar  has  a  short  game  and 
then  hands  his  cue  to  someone  else,  so  that  he  may 
talk  to  his  guests.  At  one  o'clock  he  goes  to  his 
office  on  the  ground-floor  to  work  with  his  secretary 
all  through  the  long  afternoon ;  "  My  shop  "  as  he 
cheerily  calls  it.  It  must  be  very  trying  to  work 
during  the  hot  hours  of  the  day,  but  he  never 
grumbles  about  it. 

The  waiting  room  is  full  of  officials  whom  he  will 
have  to  attend  to  one  after  the  other,  like  a  Harley 
Street  doctor  with  his  patients,  and  it  is  sometimes 
almost  six  o'clock  before  he  has  finished. 

The  Durbar  porch  is  a  curious  sight  at  this  time, 
filled  with  umbrellas  and  shoes  of  all  conceivable 
shapes  and  colours.  No  one,  except  privileged  inmates 
and  English  visitors,  wears  shoes  in  the  palace,  but  all 
are  expected  to  wear  socks.  Even  the  Maharaja 
himself  always  kicks  off  his  shoes  before  entering  the 
dining-room  and  they  are  brought  and  put  on  by  a 
servant  before  he  leaves  it  again.  I  have  now  quite 
got  into  the  habit  of  leaving  mine  outside  too,  and 
find  it  a  most  comfortable  custom ;  only  one  has  to 
be  careful  to  see  that  one's  socks  are  really  a  pair 
and  that  there  are  no  holes  in  them  ! 

When  we  have  attended  His  Highness  to  the  top 

44 


NOVEMBER 

of  the  grand  staircase  and  watched  him  descend  into 
his  den  of  lions,  Shivajirao  takes  me  back  to  the 
billiard-room  where  we  have  a  really  good  game,  as 
we  are  fairly  matched.  The  billiard-room  is  entered 
by  two  archways  from  the  card-room,  each  room 
being  furnished  as  it  would  be  in  a  London  Club, 
the  only  difference  being  that  the  balls  are  com- 
position, as  ivory  balls  would  crack  in  this  climate. 
The  cloth  and  cushions  of  the  table  are  perfect,  and 
the  balls  are  returned  automatically  from  the  pockets 
to  baulk. 

All  is  under  the  charge  of  my  very  good  friend 
Morenas,  a  Parsi  expert  of  great  skill,  who  drives  up 
to  the  palace  twice  a  day  in  his  bright-red  biscuit 
box  and  is  always  ready  to  show  how  a  stroke  should 
be  played  or  to  give  me  three  out  of  five  hundred 
and  a  beating  into  the  bargain.  He  is  a  much 
privileged  person  and  a  great  favourite  with  all  the 
Gaekwar's  family. 

The  marker  is  a  most  humorous  individual  of 
woeful  countenance.  His  knowledge  of  English  is 
perfect,  so  far  as  it  extends,  which  is  from  the 
numeral  one  to  the  numeral  a  hundred.  He  sails 
through  them  gaily  enough  until  he  reaches  the 
troubled  waters  of  the  sixties  where  he  always  has  a 
bad  time.  When  this  point  of  the  game  is  reached 
it  is  becoming  a  standing  joke  to  call  for  the  score 
after  each  stroke,  and  the  marker's  agonized  face  as  he 
stammers  out  "  sixety-five,  sixety-one  "  provokes  much 

45 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

mirth.  When  he  is  safe  again  among  the  seventies 
he  throws  an  almost  reproachful  grin  in  my 
direction,  as  much  as  to  say  that  he  knows  quite  well 
who  it  is  that  has  troubled  his  peace. 

By  this  time  it  is  getting  rather  hot  in  the  billiard- 
room  in  spite  of  the  water  which  coolies  are 
throwing  upon  the  awning  over  the  skylight,  and  I 
am  glad  to  seek  the  shade  of  my  cool  verandah  and 
to  exchange  my  "  harness "  (as  the  Maharaja's 
servants  call  his  English  kit)  for  a  costume  similar  to 
what  one  wears  in  a  Turkish  bath.  Thus  lightly 
arrayed  I  can  read,  write  or  sleep  in  comparative 
comfort  until  my  afternoon  tea  is  brought  and  it  is 
time  to  join  Shivajirao  at  the  tennis-courts.  Here 
there  are  no  lucky  flukes  to  help  me  to  a  game  now 
and  then,  as  in  the  billiard-room,  and  I  have  to 
acknowledge  my  master  and  take  defeat  as  gracefully 
as  I  can,  very  well  pleased  with  myself  if  I  can  win 
four  games  out  of  ten.  But  doubles  are  more 
popular  than  singles,  and  a  match  between  Shivajirao 
and  myself  against  Turnbull  and  Pilajirao  produces  an 
exciting  struggle.  After  three  or  four  sets  I  have  had 
enough,  but  Shivajirao's  muscles  are  still  clamouring 
for  exercise,  so  we  stroll  across  to  the  cricket-ground, 
where  the  nets  are  up  for  practice. 

A  professional  bowler  from  Bombay  has  instilled 
the  rudiments  of  his  art  into  the  green  and  gold 
boys,  and  the  cousins  are  soon  sending  the  balls  flying 
in  every  direction,  the  bare-footed  fielders  skipping 

46 


NOVEMBER 

nimbly  out  of  the  way.  Four  or  five  other  young 
cousins  arrive  on  the  scene,  equip  themselves  out  of 
the  heap  of  bats  and  pads  that  are  lying  about,  and 
learn  to  keep  up  their  wicket  with  a  straight  bat.  I 
have  not  played  the  game  since  I  left  Rugby,  but 
they  are  not  going  to  let  me  off,  and  my  bails  are 
sent  flying  ten  times  in  as  many  minutes,  during 
which  I  get  enough  exercise  to  last  me  for  a 
week. 

A  change  of  clothes  awaits  us  in  the  Maharaja's 
School,  which  has  ten  or  twelve  smaller  rooms  besides 
the  large  central  hall.  There  is  a  piano  here,  and 
Pilajirao  gives  us  a  Harrow  song;  and  then  comes 
what  is  in  some  ways  the  most  delightful  event  of 
the  day,  a  meet  of  the  Lapait  Club.  In  other  words, 
Shivajirao  is  going  to  take  us  for  a  drive.  In  what- 
ever direction  we  may  go  into  the  country,  it  is  a 
sine  qua  non  that  we  shall  finish  up  by  passing 
through  Baroda  city,  and  show  them  what  skill  can 
do  in  taking  a  coach-and-four  through  the  narrow 
streets  (lapaif)  which  lie  behind  the  main  thorough- 
fares. The  kind  of  vehicle  varies  from  day  to  day : 
sometimes  it  is  a  wagonette,  sometimes  a  dogcart 
with  the  horses  tandem-wise;  but  whatever  it  may 
be,  our  skilful  young  whip  always  offers  me  the  place 
of  honour  next  to  him  on  the  box.  As  many  of  his 
young  friends  as  there  is  room  for  clamber  up  behind, 
and  merry  fellows  they  are,  keeping  up  a  running  fire 
of  jokes  and  laughter  all  the  way.  Shivajirao  loves  to 

47 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

talk  of  Oxford,  and  I  have  to  spin  all  the  yarns  I  can 
think  of  about  my  own  happy  days  there. 

We  discuss  what  college  he  shall  go  to — shall  it  be 
Magdalen  or  Christ  Church  ?  What  Schools  he  shall 
read  for,  Law  or  History  ?  Shall  he  be  content  with 
a  pass-degree  or  go  in  for  honours  ?  Most  important 
of  all,  what  chance  has  he  of  obtaining  the  coveted 
Blue  at  cricket  ?  The  hopes  of  youth  leap  high,  fly 
fast ;  and  while  he  checks  his  own  fiery  thorough- 
breds I  have  to  do  a  little  rein-pulling  too,  and  boast 
of  the  high  standard  which  Oxford  maintains  in 
games  and  in  the  Schools,  and  the  absolute  necessity 
of  hard,  serious  work  if  a  man  hopes  to  rise  above 
the  common  level.  He  listens  and  laughs  good- 
humouredly  and  gives  a  final  blast  on  the  trumpet  of 
optimism,  secretly  thinking  me  an  old  fogey,  though 
there  is  no  one  more  anxious  than  I  am  that  our 
dear,  brave,  light-hearted,  clever  boy  may  get  all 
that  he  has  set  his  heart  on. 

WTien  we  have  gone  some  miles  and  the  horses 
have  lost  their  first  freshness,  I  must  needs  take  the 
reins  literally  and  have  a  lesson  in  the  art  of  driving, 
which  has  not  hitherto  been  one  of  my  accomplish- 
ments and  makes  my  hands  ache  badly;  so  I  am  not 
sorry  when  we  enter  the  outskirts  of  the  town  and 
the  old  walls  appear.  Baroda  is  a  fortified  city  which 
reminds  me  in  many  ways  of  Chester ;  it  is  built  in 
the  form  of  a  cross,  with  lofty  gateways  at  the  end  of 
the  four  principal  streets  and  a  fine  pavilion  of 

48 


NOVEMBER 

Mohammedan   architecture   in  the   centre,  over  which 
the  blood-red  flag  of  the  State  floats. 

The  streets  are  broad  and  picturesque  with  quaint 
native  shops  and  houses,  many  of  which  are  adorned 
with  specimens  of  fine  old  wood-carving.  The  shops 
are  for  the  most  part  open  to  the  street  up  a  few 
steps,  and  each  street  has  its  own  special  commodity; 
on  one  side  is  a  row  of  shops  filled  with  nothing  but 
shoes,  on  the  other  the  workers  in  brass  and  copper 
drown  the  clamour  of  voices  with  their  hammering. 

At  this  hour  they  are  dimly  lighted  by  small  oil 
lamps,  in  strange  contrast  to  the  large  electric  globes 
that  are  hung  at  intervals  across  the  streets,  and  are 
full  of  people  who  seem  to  be  doing  more  talking 
than  buying.  The  bazaar  swarms  with  quaint 
specimens  of  humanity  in  every  kind  of  dress  and 
undress,  flowing  up  and  down  like  a  many-coloured 
tide.  The  air  is  laden  with  strange  spicy  scents  and 
is  filled  with  the  incessant  din  of  many  voices  bargain- 
ing for  the  goods  spread  out  in  profusion  on  the 
ground — fruit,  vegetables,  grain,  brass,  silver,  clothes, 
and  every  other  commodity  that  forms  a  necessity  or 
a  luxury  in  native  life. 

Near  to  the  central  pavilion  are  the  long  rambling 
galleries  of  the  Old  Palace,  with  its  steep,  narrow 
staircases  of  painted  wood.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
road  is  a  similar  building,  which  now  contains  the 
fine  library  which  Sampatrao  has  collected  and 
presented  to  the  State. 

49  4 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

Round  the  corner,  in  its  green  and  spacious  gardens 
is  the  Nazarbag  Palace,  a  graceful  pile  of  white 
marble  in  which  the  priceless  jewels  are  guarded,  and 
which  is  used  to  lodge  native  Princes  when  they  visit 
the  Gaekwar ;  beyond  this  are  the  white  wards  of 
the  Marchioness  of  Dufferin's  Hospital,  a  modern 
building  looking  contemptuously  down  on  the  ancient 
mud  walls  of  the  Guard  House,  in  which  gold  and 
silver  guns  are  kept.  As  we  pass  it  a  bugler  blows  a 
salute  and  the  guard  come  tumbling  out  in  great 
confusion  to  "  present  arms,"  as  an  excited  native 
Serjeant  is  calling  on  them  to  do  in  the  regulation 
tones  of  the  British  Army.  We  are  almost  out  of 
earshot  before  we  hear  the  roll  of  the  drums  and  the 
shrill  notes  of  the  fifes  tootling  out  a  long,  rambling 
National  Anthem  which  a  native  bandmaster  has 
cribbed  from  the  Marseillaise. 

While  Shivajirao  is  amusing  himself  by  taking  his 
horses  into  the  most  impossible  places  among  the 
narrow,  winding  streets  with  which  the  city  is  honey- 
combed, I  notice  with  surprise  the  number  of  places 
in  which  the  work  of  demolition  is  going  on. 

It  is  the  Maharaja's  desire  that  Baroda  should  be 
laid  out  spaciously,  and  ever  since  his  accession  he 
has  been  striving  to  prevent  the  great  curse  of  over- 
crowding, which  is  one  of  the  principal  causes  of  the 
rapid  spread  of  plague  and  other  diseases.  The  work 
must  necessarily  be  slow  owing  to  the  density  of  the 
population  and  the  stubborn  tenacity  with  which 

5Q 


NOVEMBER 

they  cling  to  old  ideas  and  associations ;  there  is, 
however,  one  important  factor  in  the  case  which  alone 
makes  it  possible  for  him  to  attempt  it :  the  whole 
place  belongs  to  him ;  he  not  only  rules  it,  but  it  is 
his  own  private  property.  I  had  not  realized  this 
until  the  other  day  when  I  was  driving  with  the 
Gaekwar  in  his  motor-car  past  the  great  lake,  or  tank, 
as  they  call  it  here,  which  lies  just  outside  the  city 
walls.  On  three  sides  it  is  surrounded  by  a  broad 
roadway  planted  with  shady  trees,  but  on  the  fourth 
side  the  houses  come  right  up  to  the  water's  edge. 

We  pulled  up  for  a  few  minutes  to  look  at  the 
animated  scene,  if  anything  can  be  called  animated 
in  India,  where  everything  is  done  so  leisurely.  The 
steps  of  the  tank  were  covered  with  men  performing 
their  evening  ablutions ;  women  stood  chatting  in 
groups  as  they  filled  their  water-pots ;  and  the  surface 
of  the  water  was  dotted  with  the  dark  heads  of  boys 
who  were  swimming.  I  said  that  it  was  a  pity  we 
could  not  drive  right  round  the  tank. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  Maharaja,  "  I  have  often  thought 
so  myself.  I  think  I  will  pull  down  those  houses  and 
carry  the  road  right  round." 

Nimbalker,  who  was  sitting  next  to  the  chauffeur, 
was  called  to  the  window  :  out  came  the  pencil  and 
the  note-book  and  down  it  went. 

I  said  that  he  might  not  be  able  to  acquire  the 
houses. 

"  Oh,"  he  said  simply,  "  they  belong  to  me." 

5i  4* 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

I  asked  whether  he  had  much  property  in  Baroda. 
He  was  rather  amused  and  told  me  with  a  smile  that 
it  all  belonged  to  him ;  all  the  land,  all  the  houses,  all 
the  revenue,  all  the  rates  and  taxes  are  his  personal 
private  property,  which  he  disposes  of  as  he  thinks  fit. 
How  well  and  wisely  he  uses  the  enormous  resources 
at  his  command  one  has  not  to  live  very  long  in 
Baroda  to  discover.  He  lives  in  the  magnificent 
style  expected  of  an  Oriental  ruler  by  his  people ; 
but  his  own  personal  expenditure  is  a  mere  trifle  as 
compared  with  the  large  sums  which  are  spent 
annually  on  public  works  and  buildings.  His  position 
seems  to  be  that  of  a  despotic  monarch  governing 
constitutionally ;  appointing  a  Council  to  advise  him, 
judges  to  administer  his  laws,  departments  to  carry 
out  the  work  of  administration ;  and  distributing  his 
revenues  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  for  the  greatest  good 
of  the  whole  State  ;  and  he  looks  forward  to  the  day 
when  each  one  of  his  subjects  will  be  educated 
sufficiently  to  be  able  to  take  his  share  in  the  work 
of  government. 

Of  course  not  one  in  a  thousand  of  his  subjects 
understands  this :  they  salaam  profoundly  as  he  passes, 
but  if  he  were  to  go  by  covered  with  diamonds  on 
an  elephant  they  would  prostrate  themselves  in  the 
dust.  They  take  all  that  he  does  for  them  very 
much  as  a  matter  of  course,  partly  because  they  are 
incapable  of  appreciating  it ;  and  if  he  spent  all  his 
money  on  himself  they  would  probably  respect  him 

52 


NOVEMBER 

far  more  than  they  do.     They  are  impressed   only   by 
the  display  for  which  he  cares  so  little. 

When  the  Maharaja  drives  out  in  the  afternoon  a 
cavalry  escort  is  always  waiting  at  the  palace  gates  ; 
when  he  appears  they  divide  into  two  parties,  one 
going  before  the  carriage,  the  other  following  it ;  but 
as  soon  as  they  are  clear  of  the  town  he  sends  them 
back,  and  when  he  is  in  a  motor-car  he  generally 
dismisses  them  at  once.  The  other  evening  when  I 
was  going  for  a  drive  with  the  Gaekwar  in  the  car 
into  the  country,  he  was  so  busy  talking  of  other 
matters  that  he  forgot  all  about  them ;  we  were 
going  pretty  fast,  and  they  had  to  ride  for  all  they 
were  worth  to  keep  up.  At  last  I  noticed  that  the 
horses  were  getting  rather  blown  and  drew  his 
attention  to  it.  He  stopped  at  once  and  sent  them 
back  home,  giving  the  unfortunate  Parab,  who  had,  I 
think,  been  secretly  rather  pleased  at  this  unwonted 
fit  of  royal  indifference,  a  pretty  severe  rebuke. 

But  to  return  to  the  meet  of  the  Lapait  Club. 
While  we  were  driving  through  the  country  the 
grooms,  or  gadi-walas,  to  give  them  their  proper 
name,  whose  bare  feet  look  rather  odd  beneath  their 
smart  liveries,  hung  on  behind  the  carriage,  only 
running  in  front  now  and  then  to  clear  a  stray 
buffalo,  donkey  or  chicken  out  of  the  way ;  but  in 
the  crowded  streets  they  run  ahead  all  the  time 
shouting  out  "  Hey  !  Jane  Wala  "  or  "  Hey !  Ghari 
Wala,"  meaning  "  Hi !  you  who  are  walking  there 

53 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

(or  driving,  as  the  case  may  be),  clear  out."  They 
are  helped  in  this  by  the  numerous  policemen, 
dressed  in  dark-blue  uniforms  with  high  cloth  caps, 
who  swarm  in  Baroda  and  who  are  always  extra- 
ordinary zealous  when  we  approach,  rushing  upon  the 
people  with  great  energy,  haling  them  out  of  the 
way  by  the  scruff  of  the  neck  or  striking  them  with 
their  truncheons.  Even  thus  it  is  no  easy  matter  to 
clear  a  passage,  so  many  people,  seemingly  bemused 
by  opium,  are  wandering  aimlessly  about  in  the 
middle  of  the  road,  and  each  carriage  is  provided 
with  a  loud  bell  on  the  footboard,  which  can  be 
pressed  with  the  foot. 

You  may  imagine  that  altogether  there  is  a  pretty 
good  row,  especially  if  you  are  passing  one  of  the 
many  temples  that  abound  when  the  priest  is  thump- 
ing on  his  gong,  whether  to  call  the  faithful  to 
prayers  or  as  an  act  of  devotion  I  have  not  yet  dis- 
covered. The  refrain,  "  Hey !  Jane  Wala  !  "  is  a  very 
haunting  one  and  I  often  find  myself  humming  it  to 
any  tune  that  happens  to  come  into  my  head. 

Another  curious  feature  of  the  Baroda  streets  are 
the  altar-like  tombs  of  saintly  persons  which  are  built 
right  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  They  are  decked 
with  flowers  and  twinkling  lights  (which  are  very 
useful  after  dark) ;  a  little  stick  of  incense  sends  up  a 
curl  of  smoke  before  them,  and  sometimes  they  are 
covered  with  a  green  cloth.  They  are  in  more  ways 
than  one  a  stumbling-block  in  the  path  of  progress, 

54 


NOVEMBER 

as  they  are  so  sacred  that  not  even  the  power  of  the 
Gaekwar  can  remove  them,  and  their  owners,  whoever 
they  may  be,  are  apparently  not  troubled  with  utili- 
tarian aspirations. 

It  is  all  so  fascinating  that  one  would  like  to  stay 
out  for  hours  longer  ;  but  whatever  happens  we  must 
not  be  late  for  dinner,  so  we  drop  Pilajirao  at  his 
home  near  the  central  pavilion,  one  of  the  few  large 
houses  in  the  city,  where  he  probably  lives  with  his 
father  and  mother  and  grandfather  and  grandmother, 
and  as  many  uncles  and  aunts  as  can  be  squeezed  in, 
for  the  idea  of  the  family  is  very  strong  in  India  and 
they  all  love  to  herd  together  as  long  as  possible.  It 
must  seem  strange  to  him  after  his  English  education, 
but  he  takes  it  very  philosophically  and  trips  up  the 
staircase  with  a  cheery  wave  of  his  hand.  What  he 
will  do  with  himself  for  the  rest  of  the  evening  good- 
ness only  knows — probably  nothing  at  all. 

None  of  these  other  native  people  ever  seems  to 
think  of  asking  you  to  enter  his  house.  I  suppose 
they  have  nothing  for  you  to  sit  upon  and  nothing  to 
amuse  you  with,  except,  perhaps,  a  dreary  gramophone. 
Like  wise  men  they  find  all  their  amusement  and 
occupation  out  in  the  open  air,  and  use  their  houses 
just  to  eat  and  sleep  in. 

Then  Shivajirao,  who  is  always  kind  and  considerate, 
goes  out  of  his  way  to  drop  his  other  friends  at  their 
homes,  and  we  return  to  the  palace  a  much  smaller 
and  quieter  party  than  when  we  left  it.  After  the 

55 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

noise  and  bustle  of  streets  the  broad  avenues  and 
lawns  are  delightfully  restful,  and  Raj  Mahal  looks 
more  fairy-like  than  ever  gleaming  with  cheerful 
lights.  If  it  is  Friday  a  throng  of  nobles  in  brilliant 
robes  and  swords  of  honour  in  velvet  sheaths  are 
waiting  with  little  offerings  of  corn,  flowers  and 
sweetmeats  for  the  Maharaja,  who  touches  them  in 
token  of  acceptance  and  they  are  then  collected  by  a 
servant. 

While  we  are  being  taken  up  in  the  lift  above  the 
heads  of  the  bowing  crowd  His  Highness  hands  one 
of  the  little  packets  to  me  and  another  to  Shivajirao, 
which  we  receive  ceremoniously,  and  when  I  reach 
my  landing  I  distribute  the  contents  between  the 
lift-man  and  Sanka,  who  receive  them  with  out- 
stretched hands  and  bowed  heads  as  if  it  were  a  sort 
of  sacrament. 

Every  afternoon  when  the  Gaekwar  goes  for  his 
drive  an  old  woman  nearly  ninety  years  old  is  waiting 
in  the  hall  concealed  behind  a  pillar ;  as  he  passes  she 
comes  forward  trembling  with  devotional  feeling  and 
bowing  to  the  ground  as  she  hands  him  a  bouquet  of 
flowers  which,  like  all  the  native  nosegays,  is  made  of 
blossoms  arranged  in  a  formal  pattern  and  bound  very 
closely  together. 

When  we  are  in  the  car  he  hands  it  over  to  me, 
and  if  it  is  still  in  existence  when  we  come  back  I 
give  it  to  Nimbalker,  who  gives  it  to  the  man  who 
takes  off  his  boots,  who  probably  takes  it  home  and 

S6 


NOVEMBER 

presents  it  formally  to  his  wife.  In  this  House-that- 
Jack-built  way  a  number  of  polite  attentions  are 
exchanged  without  any  trouble  or  expense  to 
anyone  except  the  old  crone  who  makes  the  bouquet 
and  the  Maharaja,  who  allows  her  a  comfortable 
pension. 

At  this  hour  a  fragrant  scent,  so  slight  as  to  be 
almost  imperceptible,  pervades  the  palace.  At  sunset 
a  servant  paces  slowly  through  all  the  rooms  and 
corridors  bearing  a  great  pan  of  burning  incense ;  this 
makes  everything  very  sweet  and  is  considered  to  be 
a  good  disinfectant.  It  drives  away  any  mosquitoes 
that  may  be  hovering  about,  and  as  they  also  have  a 
holy  horror  of  electric  fans  we  are  not  much  troubled 
by  them. 

If  I  have  been  bitten  during  the  afternoon,  a 
message  to  the  surgery  brings  a  cooling  lotion  which 
takes  away  all  irritation,  and  every  day  by  the 
Maharaja's  orders  one  of  the  doctor's  assistants  brings 
me  a  couple  of  quinine  pills  as  a  preventive  against 
fever. 

Our  dinner-table  is  now  graced  almost  every  night 
by  the  presence  of  the  Maharani  and  Princess  Indira. 
The  men  of  the  party  assemble  first  in  the  library, 
where  all  the  Indian  and  several  of  the  English  daily 
papers  and  most  of  the  English  weekly  illustrated  and 
monthly  magazines  are  placed  as  they  arrive,  and 
there  is  usually  some  interesting  piece  of  news  which 
is  being  eagerly  discussed  when  Mr.  Pluck  appears  to 

57 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

say  that  dinner  is  served  and  that  Her  Highness  has 
left  her  apartments. 

As  we  enter  through  the  door  she  comes  in  through 
the  verandah,  followed  by  the  Princess ;  they  both 
make  an  extremely  graceful  reverence  to  the  Maharaja, 
touching  the  ground  before  them  with  their  hands 
like  the  Three  Little  Maids  in  The  Mikado,  and 
Indira  makes  a  similar  reverence  to  her  brother. 
They  greet  me  with  a  bow  and  we  all  sit  down, 
Maharaja  at  the  head  of  the  table  with  Shivajirao 
opposite  to  him,  Maharani  and  myself  on  one  side, 
Indira  and  Owchitrao  Kaka  on  the  other. 

Very  often  there  are  two  menus,  as  the  ladies  may 
prefer  to  have  Indian  dishes,  which  are  served  on 
large  golden  trays,  placed  before  them  on  the  table. 
This  makes  the  dinner  rather  long,  as  the  Indian  food 
is  very  good  and  Maharani  insists  on  my  tasting  a 
good  many  of  her  dishes  besides  our  own. 

Sometimes  when  a  dish  is  very  popular  it  goes  all 
round  the  table.  The  Indian  brown  sauces  are  very 
rich  and  good,  and  many  of  the  vegetables  excellent. 
The  best  dish  of  all  is  the  pillaw,  made  of  beautifully 
cooked  dry  rice,  chicken,  raisins,  almonds  and  spicy 
stuffing,  covered  with  gold  or  silver  leaf  which  gives 
it  a  very  gay  look.  It  is  served  with  a  most  delicious 
white  sauce  flavoured  with  orange  or  pineapple. 

There  is  also  an  almond  cream  covered  with  silver- 
leaf  which  is  far  more  exquisite  than  any  other 
sweetmeat  that  I  have  ever  eaten.  I  used  to  think 

58 


NOVEMBER 

that  I  had  ceased  to  care  for  sweets,  but  I  know  now 
that  I  am  only  just  beginning  to  understand  what 
they  are. 

Meanwhile  there  has  been  plenty  of  conversation. 
The  Maharani  has  a  fine  perception  of  affairs  diplomatic 
and  political ;  she  holds  strong  opinions  of  her  own 
on  almost  every  subject  and  expresses  them  forcibly 
and  wittily,  showing  great  correctness  of  appreciation, 
and  often  preserving  in  her  fluent  and  perfect 
English  the  picturesque  idiom  of  Oriental  expressions. 
Sometimes  when  she  is  excited  by  an  argument  she 
begins  to  speak  in  Mahratti  very  rapidly  and  with 
eloquent  gestures,  making  Maharaja  shake  with 
laughter.  It  gives  one  the  impression  of  being  a 
delightful  language  for  conversational  purposes,  and  I 
must  try  to  learn  to  understand  it,  if  not  to  speak  it. 
When  Her  Highness  dines  with  us  no  Mahratta 
servants  are  present,  their  place  being  taken  by  "  Goa 
Boys,"  who  are  very  quick  and  intelligent. 

When  dinner  is  over  the  old  Mohammedan  butler, 
Mungal  Khan,  who  brought  my  tea  on  the  morning 
of  my  arrival,  wheels  round  the  table  a  large  silver 
apparatus  containing  an  urn  of  water,  a  basin  and  a 
box  of  powdered  soap,  and  we  all  wash  our  hands. 
My  friends  also  wash  out  their  mouths,  doing  it  so 
gracefully  and  naturally  that  it  does  not  even  make 
you  smile.  Maharaja  says  that  it  is  the  secret  of 
their  having  such  beautiful  teeth  and  advises  me  to 
acquire  the  habit,  but  the  water  is  too  cold  for  my 

59 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

degenerate  gums  and  I  should  only  succeed  in  making 
a  fool  of  myself,  which  I  should  be  sorry  to  do  when 
pretty  Indira  is  looking  on.  She  has  been  chatting 
gaily  with  her  brother,  of  whom  she  is  very  fond,  and 
has  made  me  give  an  account  of  my  doings  during 
the  day,  which  never  fail  to  interest  her. 

She  has  a  charming  knack  of  pouring  water  into 
her  glass  with  her  left  hand,  twisting  the  carafe  over 
backwards  like  a  conjuring  trick.  I  tried  to  do  it, 
nearly  drowning  the  Maharani  in  the  attempt.  It 
would  have  been  dreadful  if  she  were  not  so  awfully 
good-natured.  But  they  all  are  that :  we  have  been 
chaffing  Owchitrao  Kaka  unmercifully  and  he  has 
taken  it  all  like  an  angel.  He  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  old  men  I  have  ever  seen,  with  fine  features 
and  a  glorious  beard,  which  he  parts  in  the  middle 
and  keeps  very  carefully  brushed.  He  usually  wears 
one  of  the  long  embroidered  cloaks  which  they  call 
Indian  shawls,  and  clings  to  the  habits  and  customs  of 
his  ancestors,  laudator  temporis  acti,  though  he  is  by 
no  means  indifferent  to  the  creature  comforts  of 
modern  refinement,  and  takes  a  childlike  delight  in 
any  new  invention  which  the  Maharaja  introduces. 

As  they  all  love  him  and  make  a  great  pet  of  him 
they  usually  call  him  simply  Kaka,  which  means 
paternal  uncle.  There  are  many  other  quaint  terms 
of  endearment  like  that  in  Mahratti,  which  is  a  very 
homely  language,  such  as  Mama,  maternal  uncle ; 
Masahib,  mother ;  Dada,  elder  brother.  The  Gaekwar 

60 


NOVEMBER 

has  other  uncles,  but  this  dear  old  fellow  is  Kaka 
par  excellence.  He  is  a  perpetual  source  of  delight  to 
me,  and  I  am  sure  that  if  he  could  only  be  launched 
into  London  Society  he  might  easily  become  the 
"  lion "  of  the  season.  He  has  plenty  to  say,  and  his 
elementary  English  and  old-fashioned  ideas  make  it 
very  amusing  to  listen  to  him. 

One  of  the  Maharani's  women  now  makes  her 
appearance  with  a  gold  cup  with  a  lid  to  it,  which 
reminds  me  of  Joseph's  "  cup  of  divination,"  full  of 
the  purest  and  coldest  water,  and  a  gold  box  studded 
with  large  emeralds  and  diamonds,  containing  the 
finest  betel-nut  that  can  be  procured.  Her  Highness 
is  very  particular  about  it,  and  often  cuts  the  nuts 
herself  into  shavings  with  a  sharp  instrument,  examin- 
ing them  critically  and  rejecting  anything  that  is  at 
all  faulty. 

Fruit,  which  we  have  in  abundance  at  other  times 
of  the  day,  is  not  eaten  after  dinner,  being  con- 
sidered unhealthy  in  the  evening,  but  there  is  plenty 
of  desert  of  other  kinds,  and  as  we  leave  the  room 
one  of  the  servants  stands  by  the  door  holding  a  tray 
of  betel-nut,  cardamom,  almonds  and  cloves,  from 
which  we  help  ourselves.  Kaka  produces  from  some 
mysterious  pocket  a  large  silver  box,  stuffed  with 
Pan-supari,  areca-nut  rolled  in  the  green  leaves  of 
the  betel  creeper,  which  he  crams  into  his  mouth, 
and  we  all  stroll  together  down  the  corridor  to  the 
billiard  room,  Maharaja  leading  the  way. 

61 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

The  ladies,  of  course,  are  wearing  Indian  dress 
with  bare  feet,  and  it  is  charming  to  see  them 
moving  lazily  along  with  graceful,  swaying  gait,  the 
light  sparkling  from  a  hundred  jewels  and  from  the 
shimmering  gold  thread  of  their  magnificent  saris, 
which  now  and  then  slip  backwards  from  their  heads 
and  are  replaced  with  a  careless  wave  of  beautiful 
arms. 

When  we  reach  the  billiard-room,  the  marker  of 
the  woeful  countenance  scuttles  off  with  deprecatory 
gestures  and  Morenas  takes  his  place.  The  Maharani 
sits  down  to  watch  the  game,  and  soon  gathers  her 
skirts  beneath  her  in  Indian  fashion,  bending  forward 
to  make  coffee  which  her  women  have  placed  on  the 
table  beside  her.  I  offer  my  cigarette-case  to  Kaka, 
and  we  all  burst  into  laughter  as  he  waves  it 
virtuously  away,  for  we  know  that  he  is  really  an 
awful  old  chimney,  and  will  take  one  fast  enough 
later  on.  His  Highness  has  one,  however,  and  smokes 
it  very  quickly,  puffing  out  great  clouds  with  his 
accustomed  vigour.  He  keeps  up  a  running  fire  of 
conversation  with  the  spectators,  and  his  game  suffers 
from  want  of  attention ;  but  when  I  am  nearly  home, 
he  wakes  up  to  the  gravity  of  the  situation  and 
concentrates  all  his  energy  on  a  big  break  which 
gives  him  the  game.  Kaka  trots  round  the  table 
fielding  the  balls  and  giving  advice  to  the  players, 
whether  they  ask  for  it  or  not;  he  is  very  pleased 
with  a  new  word  he  has  learnt  from  me,  and  when 

62 


NOVEMBER 

you  make  a  "  beastly  fluke "  he  announces  the  fact 
with  a  grim  chuckle.  Every  few  minutes  he  dis- 
appears on  to  the  balcony,  to  get  rid  of  superfluous 
betel-nut  juice,  as  Shivajirao  tells  me  in  a  delighted 
whisper.  When  his  own  turn  comes  to  play,  his 
ample  proportions  occasionally  make  it  difficult  for 
him  to  reach  the  ball,  and  we  each  take  a  leg  and 
hoist  him  up  on  to  the  table,  where  he  lies  helpless, 
calling  for  assistance  which  we  are  too  weak  with 
laughter  to  give  him. 

Sometimes  Maharani,  who  takes  a  great  interest  in 
the  game  and  criticizes  our  play  freely,  plays  a  game 
herself  with  Indira  or  has  a  lesson  from  Morenas,  who 
covers  the  cloth  with  diagrams  in  chalk  with  the  sure 
hand  of  a  skilled  artist.  Her  Highness  does  every- 
thing very  thoroughly,  and  never  gives  up  the  most 
difficult  stroke  till  she  has  mastered  it,  however  many 
times  it  may  have  to  be  repeated,  and  she  ought 
soon  to  be  a  finished  player. 

No  one  sits  up  late.  Indira  is  the  first  to  go,  as 
she  is  working  for  the  Matriculation  examination  at 
Bombay  University  and  has  to  be  up  betimes.  She 
kisses  her  mother,  bends  to  the  ground  before 
Maharaja,  and  trips  lightly  away  to  enjoy  the 
dreamless  slumbers  of  happy  innocence.  Unless 
Maharaja  is  wakeful  and  wants  to  play  Bridge  we  all 
soon  follow  her  example  as  best  we  may.  Bidding 
Their  Highnesses  good-night  when  we  reach  the 
staircase,  Shivajirao  and  I  accompany  Kaka  to  his 

63 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

carriage,  and  as  he  drives  away  we  can  hear  him 
chatting  with  his  servants  like  the  fine  old  patriarch 
that  he  is.  Then,  after  lingering  awhile  on  the  stairs 
making  plans  for  the  morrow,  we  go  to  bed  ourselves. 
Sanka  is  lying  wrapped  up  in  his  blanket,  head  and 
all,  just  outside  my  door,  fast  asleep,  and  I  have  to 
turn  him  over  several  times  with  my  foot  before  he 
understands  what  is  happening,  when  he  snatches 
hastily  at  his  puggari,  as  it  would  be  very  disrespectful 
for  him  to  be  in  my  presence  with  his  head 
uncovered  or  wearing  shoes. 

Every  night  while  we  are  at  dinner,  a  company  of 
players  arrives  to  give  a  performance  under  the 
portico  outside  the  Durbar  hall,  which  is  very 
popular  with  the  servants.  Chairs  are  always  placed 
for  His  Highness  and  his  guests,  and  we  often  go  and 
watch  it.  Even  when  the  others  do  not  care  to 
come,  I  usually  watch  it  for  a  few  minutes,  and  it  is 
most  amusing. 

There  is  no  lack  of  variety  of  entertainment — short 
plays  presented  by  Hindu  or  Mohammedan  actors, 
who  change  their  clothes  with  wonderful  rapidity 
behind  two  small  screens ;  the  best  troop  of  acrobats 
I  have  ever  seen  in  my  life ;  dancing  by  Guzerati  or 
Tan j ore  nautch-girls ;  marvellous  conjurers,  who  do 
all  the  famous  tricks  that  one  has  heard  of :  the  boy 
who  is  crammed  into  a  small  basket  into  which  sharp 
swords  are  thrust,  and  comes  out  none  the  worse  for 
it ;  the  mango-tree  which  grows  from  a  seed  and  bears 

64 


NOVEMBER 

fruit  before  your  eyes ;  the  gentleman  who  throws  a 
rope  into  the  air,  climbs  up  it  and  disappears  into 
space.  All  these  things  are  done  within  a  few  feet  of 
you,  without  any  accessories,  the  ground  being 
covered  with  a  large  white  carpet,  and  standard 
lamps  arranged  so  as  to  throw  a  bright  light  upon 
the  scene.  I  like  the  snake-charmers  better  than 
anything  else  ;  the  wicked  heads  of  the  cobras,  their 
cruel,  unwinking  eyes,  and  their  restless,  forked 
tongues  have  an  irresistible  fascination  for  me. 

The  music  is  of  the  weirdest  kind,  each  troupe 
having  its  own  musicians  attached  to  it ;  there  are 
generally  two  or  three  stringed  instruments,  played 
'cello-fashion,  a  shrill  pipe  which  comes  in  with  the 
most  startling  effect,  and  a  man  who  plays  with  his 
fingers  on  a  small  drum,  who  works  himself  up  to  a 
tremendous  pitch  of  excitement  and  seems  to  lead 
the  others. 

You  may  imagine  how  many  quaint  figures  there 
are  in  this  motley  crowd,  some  venerable,  others 
ridiculous,  but  very  few  pathetic ;  they  all  seem 
quite  content  to  play  their  little  part  in  life  and  to 
receive  the  pittance  which  supplies  their  simple 
wants.  Perhaps  the  quaintest  of  the  whole  lot  is  the 
leader  of  the  troupe  of  acrobats.  Years  older  than 
his  young  pupils,  he  is  yet  dressed  in  the  same  bright 
pink  "  tights "  with  gaudy  spangles,  which  hang  in 
crinkled  folds  from  his  meagre  limbs.  He  does  not 
take  part  himself  in  the  performance,  but  directs  it 

65  5 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

like  a  drill-sergeant,  ringing  a  little  bell  before  each 
change  of  posture.  The  monotony  of  this  eternal 
tinkling  would  be  dreadful  were  it  not  so  extremely 
characteristic  of  the  total  absence  of  humour  which 
enables  so  many  of  these  people  to  do  the  most 
absurd  things  with  perfect  gravity. 

It  never  occurs  to  him  or  to  any  one  else  that  if 
his  troupe  were  better  trained,  he  and  his  bell  could 
efface  themselves  at  the  actual  performance  with 
great  advantage.  With  his  shrivelled  body  bent 
double  with  excitement  and  his  yellow  teeth  bared  in 
a  ghastly  grin,  he  will  go  on  ringing  his  bell  every 
five  seconds  to  the  end  of  time. 

I  cannot  give  you  the  plot  of  any  of  these  plays, 
as,  however  one  may  thirst  for  information,  it  is  by 
no  means  easy  to  get  it.  There  is  usually  some 
gorgeously  attired  person  whom  the  other  players  call 
"  Maharaja,"  while  they  play  every  kind  of  trick  upon 
him  behind  his  back. 

One  evening  a  man  with  a  fine  voice  sang  a  long, 
rollicking  aria  rather  like  a  buffo  song  from  an 
Italian  opera.  It  was  much  applauded,  and  I  asked 
the  native  gentleman  attending  me  if  it  was  a  comic 
song.  "Yes,"  he  said,  "that  is  it — a  comic  song." 
So  I  asked  him  if  he  would  tell  me  what  it  was 
about.  "  Oh,"  he  replied,  in  the  airy  way  they  all 
have,  "  some  little  praise  of  God,  and  all  that ! " 

We  have  just  been  celebrating  one  of  the  great 
Hindu  festivals,  the  Diwali,  or  "feast  of  lamps,"  held 

66 


NOVEMBER 

in  honour  of  Lakshmi,  the  goddess  of  wealth,  so  you 
will  not  be  surprised  to  hear  that  it  is  a  great  day 
in  Baroda.  It  began  with  a  grand  State  function — 
the  removal  of  the  Gadi,  or  throne,  from  the  Old 
Palace  to  Lakshmivilas.  We  were  awakened  in  the 
morning  by  the  boom  of  cannon  firing  a  salute  in 
the  park,  and  while  I  was  dressing  Dr.  Jadhav  came 
for  me,  and  we  drove  together  to  the  Courts  of 
Justice,  a  handsome  building  just  outside  the  city 
gate  and  facing  the  great  tank. 

Seats  had  been  placed  for  us  on  the  balcony  in 
the  shade,  and  we  amused  ourselves  for  some  time 
watching  the  people  surging  along  in  the  street  below, 
pushed  hither  and  thither  by  shouting  policemen, 
whose  frantic  efforts  to  reduce  them  to  some  kind  of 
order  only  made  confusion  worse  confounded. 

Presently  the  Maharana  of  Lunawada,  who  is  a 
tributary  Prince  of  the  Gaekwar  and  is  staying  at  the 
Nazarbag  Palace,  arrived  in  his  carriage ;  he  is 
partially  paralysed,  and  was  helped  to  the  seat  next  to 
mine  by  his  two  nephews,  handsome  men  with  black 
beards  and  grave,  reserved  manners. 

Soon  afterwards  the  troops  marched  past,  headed 
by  the  band  escorting  Maharaja  to  the  Old  Palace. 
He  was  driving  with  Shivajirao  by  his  side,  in  an 
open  landau  drawn  by  eight  lovely  white  Arab  horses 
led  by  grooms,  and  was  greeted  by  the  crowd  with 
the  greatest  enthusiasm.  Kaka  and  a  crowd  of  other 
nobles  followed,  some  in  carriages  and  others  on  foot, 

67  5* 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

looking  very  brave  in  their  flowing  robes  and  jewelled 
swords. 

The  ceremonial  at  the  Old  Palace  was  very  short, 
Maharaja  taking  his  seat  on  the  Gadi  for  a  few 
minutes  to  receive  homage  and  then  driving  home  in 
the  motor-car  by  a  quiet  road  and  leaving  the 
procession  to  take  care  of  itself.  When  it  came  back 
it  was  much  larger,  and  there  were  half  a  dozen 
native  bands  besides  the  military  band,  all  playing 
together  and  making  a  deafening  noise ;  behind  the 
troops  came  seven  of  the  State  elephants  in  gorgeous 
trappings  but  no  howdahs,  their  great  golden  bells 
sounding  musically  above  the  screeching  pipes  and 
roaring  drums ;  and  then  the  Gadi  itself,  a  gigantic 
bolster  covered  with  a  large  cloth  of  gold,  on  a 
triumphal  car  beautifully  decorated  with  flowers  and 
drawn  by  ten  milk-white  bullocks  draped  from  head 
to  foot  with  magnificent  embroideries. 

It  was  a  fine  sight  and  very  touching  to  see  the 
vast  crowds  throw  themselves  flat  on  the  ground  as 
the  sacred  emblem  of  royalty  passed  by  them. 

As  soon  as  we  could  get  away  we  drove  back  to 
the  palace,  and  got  there  in  time  to  see  the  procession 
again  as  it  arrived  there,  looking  rather  lonely,  as  the 
public  were  not  admitted  within  the  park  gates.  Her 
Highness  was  watching  it  from  a  balcony  and  called 
out  to  me  to  ask  if  I  had  had  a  good  view. 

The  Gadi  was  placed  in  the  small  Durbar  hall, 
and  offerings  were  made  to  it  by  the  Gaekwar, 

68 


NOVEMBER 

assisted  by  three  Brahmins  in  their  official  robes  of 
purple  cloth,  their  bare  breasts  and  faces  painted 
with  vermilion  and  their  shaven  heads  bare  except 
for  a  single  lock  of  hair  tied  together  in  a  short 
pigtail  at  the  back. 

As  it  was  a  religious  ceremony  I  was  not  allowed 
to  go  inside,  but  watched  it  from  the  balcony  with 
Indira,  who  explained  in  whispers  what  was  going  on. 
She  also  told  me  that  she  works  every  morning  and 
afternoon  with  Sampatrao's  daughters  at  the 
Maharaja's  School,  and  asked  me  to  go  there  and 
have  tea  with  them  some  afternoon. 

They  do  no  work  on  the  Hindu  festivals,  of  which 
there  are  eleven,  some  of  them  lasting  over  several 
days,  and  keep  birthdays  and  so  on  as  holidays ;  and 
in  this  way  they  get  about  thirty  days  in  the  year, 
besides  the  longer  vacations.  Sunday  is  also  kept  as 
a  holiday,  very  little  work  being  done  by  anybody  on 
that  day. 

At  breakfast  the  Gaekwar  proposed  that  I  should 
have  an  Indian  dress  made  and  dine  at  the  banquet 
in  the  evening  in  Indian  fashion.  I  jumped  at  the 
idea,  and  a  message  was  sent  to  the  tailor,  who  came 
to  my  rooms  at  two  o'clock  to  measure  me  and 
submit  patterns ;  such  a  funny  old  man,  very  tall 
and  thin  and  extremely  deferential. 

At  seven  o'clock  Sanka  entered  beaming,  with  a 
fine  new  dress  all  quite  ready,  exactly  like  the  one 
Maharaja  wears.  It  is  quite  a  pleasure  to  put  on  the 

69 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

soft,  light  underclothing,  and  my  only  regret  was  that 
the  beautiful  waistcoat  of  peach-coloured  silk  with 
gold  embroidery  was  covered  by  the  long  white  outer 
garment,  just  showing  faintly  through  the  fine  lawn. 
However  there  was  a  lovely  jetab  to  match,  about 
ten  yards  long,  which  Sanka  wound  round  my  head 
with  great  care.  When  I  was  ready  I  went  to  show 
myself  to  the  ladies,  who  were  pleased  to  approve, 
and  then  made  my  way  to  the  banqueting  hall,  which 
was  looking  quite  lovely.  It  is  a  fine,  well- 
proportioned  room,  brilliantly  lit  by  crystal  chandeliers 
and  with  a  number  of  old  paintings  by  famous  native 
artists  hanging  on  the  walls,  illustrating  stories  from 
Hindu  mythology.  The  floor  had  been  specially 
decorated  with  a  long  oblong  pattern  made  with 
coloured  sands  and  gold  and  silver  dust,  and  behind 
this  large  trays  of  solid  silver  were  placed,  one  for 
each  of  the  fifty  guests.  Silver  bowls  filled  with 
flowers  were  placed  between  each  tray,  and  sticks  of 
burning  incense  smoked  in  slender  silver  holders. 
Behind  the  trays  were  small  squares  of  inlaid  wood, 
on  which  we  took  our  seats  like  so  many  tailors. 

His  Highness  and  Shivajirao  sat  at  the  top  of  the 
room  and  dined  off  trays  of  gold,  with  gold  flagons, 
cups  and  water-bowls.  At  the  other  end  of  the  room 
sat  the  Brahmins,  still  in  their  war-paint,  so  placed 
that  their  own  servants  could  cook  their  own  food  on 
the  verandah  outside  and  bring  it  to  them  without 
passing  any  low-caste  person  such  as  myself. 

70 


NOVEMBER 

I  found  that  my  tray  was  divided  into  a  dozen 
little  compartments,  each  containing  a  different  kind  of 
food,  and  the  servants  went  busily  about  replenishing 
them  from  larger  dishes.  The  food  was  excellent,  and 
I  was  able  to  enjoy  it,  as  I  had  been  provided  with 
spoon  and  fork,  all  the  others  using  their  fingers. 
Half-way  through  dinner  Mr.  Pluck  brought  me  the 
wing  of  a  partridge  with  cauliflower  and  salad,  so  I 
did  very  well.  The  conversation  was  of  a  general 
kind,  the  Gaekwar  talking  first  to  one  then  to  another 
of  his  guests,  and  there  were  many  jokes  and  much 
laughter.  My  legs  ached  frightfully  towards  the  end, 
but  I  managed  to  sit  through  it  all  right,  being  an 
object  of  much  polite  curiosity,  especially  to  the 
Brahmins,  whose  shrewd  eyes  I  often  found  fixed 
upon  me. 

The  meal  ended  with  the  customary  ablutions,  the 
number  of  antique  silver  vessels  used  again  recalling 
the  days  of  Solomon,  and  was  followed  by  an  open- 
air  concert  by  native  singers  and  dancers,  after  which 
we  went  on  to  the  terrace  to  watch  the  display 
of  fireworks.  It  was  quite  magnificent,  beautiful 
effects  being  produced  by  the  reflection  in  the  waters 
of  the  lake,  the  illuminated  fountains,  and  the 
Bengal  lights  burning  in  the  background  among  the 
trees. 

The  next  morning  I  drove  with  the  Gaekwar  to 
the  treasury,  and  watched  him  doing  pooja,  or  worship, 
to  the  State  jewels,  which  were  all  spread  out  on 

7- 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

cushions,  a  blaze  of  barbaric  splendour.  We  worship 
our  wealth  in  a  different  way  in  England,  but  I  think 
that  their  way  is  better ;  it  is  certainly  more  dignified 
and  honest.  Later  in  the  day  Shivajirao  went  through 
a  similiar  ceremony  at  the  palace  with  the  family 
jewels,  which  are  almost  as  numerous  and  magnificent 
as  those  in  the  State  collection. 

In  the  afternoon  there  was  a  large  garden-party 
down  by  the  cricket -ground  to  which  all  the  English 
people  and  native  officials  were  invited  to  meet  the 
Maharana  of  Lunawada.  It  was  a  very  gay  scene,  a 
pageant  of  moving  colour;  the  tennis-courts  were  full, 
and  a  number  of  English  and  Indian  ladies  were  play- 
ing croquet.  The  acrobats  gave  a  performance,  and 
three  great  elephants  in  full  dress  took  parties  of  the 
guests  for  a  ride  round  the  park.  The  band  played 
lively  tunes,  and  at  intervals  a  company  of  pipers  in 
Highland  uniforms  marched  about  at  some  distance, 
playing  Scottish  airs  on  their  bagpipes. 

Of  all  the  British  customs  introduced  by  the 
Gaekwar,  I  think  the  pipers  are  the  most  successful. 
They  are  much  better  than  the  band,  which  is  not 
quite  up  to  the  mark,  probably  because  the  music 
appeals  to  them  more.  Ices  and  other  delicious 
refreshments  were  served  in  a  marquee  and  several 
other  smaller  tents  gay  with  flags,  and  as  it  grew 
dark  the  trees  were  illuminated  with  coloured  lights 
and  Japanese  lanterns. 

At  dinner  Maharaja  asked  me  if  I  would  like  to  go 

72 


NOVEMBER 

with  him  to  Bombay  that  evening  and  see  the 
illuminations  there,  and  orders  were  sent  to  Sanka  to 
get  my  luggage  ready.  We  spent  the  evening  in  the 
Maharani's  drawing-room,  listening  to  a  performance 
on  stringed  instruments  by  three  men  who  are 
evidently  great  artists.  I  had  not  realized  before 
what  Indian  music  could  be ;  it  was  indescribably 
beautiful,  plaintive  melodies,  so  soft  as  to  be  at  times 
almost  inaudible,  floating  above  a  gentle  murmur  of 
chromatic  accompaniment.  Quarter-tones  were  freely 
used,  and  probably  other  still  smaller  intervals  which 
my  ear,  trained  only  to  our  Western  scales,  failed  to 
detect. 

Guzerat  is  famous  for  its  musical  instruments  of 
every  shape  and  size,  fashioned  by  the  most  skilful 
workmanship  from  rare  woods  beautifully  inlaid.  One 
of  the  finest  was  made  of  two  large  gourd-shaped 
sounding-boards  joined  by  a  long  neck,  along  which 
are  stretched  on  pegs  of  ivory  and  ebony  some 
fifteen  strings  of  catgut,  and  under  these  again  a 
number  of  other  strings  of  gold  and  silver  wire,  from 
which  the  most  wonderful  harmonic  effects  can  be 
obtained. 

The  performers  were  all  handsome,  dignified  men* 
evidently  taking  great  pride  in  their  art,  and  their 
grave  faces  were  lit  up  with  smiles  of  pleasure  at  my 
enthusiastic  admiration.  One  of  them  sang  several 
songs ;  he  had  a  fine  voice,  but  the  Hindu  method  of 
voice-production  is  too  nasal  to  please  me,  and  they 

73 


A   YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

throw  their  heads  about  and  contort  their  faces  too 
much. 

Maharani  asked  them  if  they  could  accompany  me 
in  a  song,  and  they  said  they  thought  they  could  if 
they  heard  it  first ;  so  I  sang  "  Pale  Hands  I  loved," 
from  Mrs.  Woodforde-Finden's  "  Lover  in  Damascus  " ; 
they  listened  very  attentively  and  then  with  great 
skill  improvized  an  accompaniment  while  I  sang  it 
again,  and  the  principal  performer  continued  to 
extemporize  a  fantasia  on  it  for  some  time. 

It  was  a  delightful  evening,  and  we  were  sorry 
when  we  heard  that  the  car  was  waiting  to  take 
Maharaja  and  myself  to  the  train.  We  drove  across 
the  park  to  the  private  station,  the  whole  way  being 
lit  up  by  torches  held  by  men  standing  at  intervals 
of  a  few  yards,  evidently  a  survival  from  old  times,  as 
our  own  powerful  lights  would  have  been  quite 
enough.  The  station  also  was  lit  by  torches  and  the 
platform  covered  with  a  carpet  on  which  chairs  were 
placed.  Presently  the  train  came  in  with  the 
Gaekwar's  saloon  attached  to  it,  into  which  we 
mounted  by  a  flight  of  portable  steps  covered  with 
red  baize.  It  was  not  the  mail,  but  the  slow 
train  for  third-class  passengers  only,  so  that  we 
might  have  a  longer  night  and  have  plenty  of  time 
to  dress.  The  saloon  was  very  roomy  and  comfortable, 
divided  into  two  large  compartments,  one  for  His 
Highness  and  the  other  for  his  suite,  with  a  couple 
of  bathrooms  and  a  kitchen  for  the  servants.  The 

74 


NOVEMBER 

furniture  of  the  saloon  is  very  handsome  and 
comfortable,  the  walls  being  wainscoted  with  carved 
and  gilded  woodwork  in  which  several  mirrors  are  set, 
and  it  is  fitted  with  electric  light  and  fans. 

Maharaja  asked  me  to  share  his  compartment  with 
him,  but  as  I  thought  he  would  probably  prefer  to 
be  alone,  I  told  him  that  Nimbalker  had  already  had 
my  bed  made  up  next  door  with  Dr.  Jadhav  and 
himself,  at  which  he  did  not  seem  displeased.  I 
chatted  with  him  while  he  was  being  undressed  and 
then  joined  my  two  friends,  the  rest  of  the  suite 
being  in  a  first-class  coach  tacked  on  behind  the 
train.  We  had  a  light  supper  and  a  cigar  and  then 
went  to  bed,  the  little  doctor  looking  very  comical 
without  his  puggari,  and  slept  soundly  till  we  reached 
Bombay. 

We  had  our  chota  bazri  in  the  train,  and  were  met 
by  some  of  the  directors  of  the  Bombay  and  Baroda 
Railway,  with  whom  we  went  to  inspect  the  plans  of 
a  new  saloon  they  are  building  for  His  Highness, 
which  will  run  on  either  the  broad  or  the  narrow 
gauge.  Cornalbas,  the  chauffeur,  was  waiting  for  us 
outside  the  station  with  one  of  several  new  motor- 
cars which  we  tried  during  the  day,  and  we  drove  to 
the  Taj  Mahal  hotel  for  baths  and  breakfast. 

I  spent  the  morning  driving  about  with  the 
Gaekwar  to  various  horse-dealers'  stables.  Faye  wants 
some  new  carriage-horses  and  had  come  up  a  day  or 
two  before  to  select  some  for  His  Highness'  approval, 

75 


A   YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

so  we  had  a  delightful  time.  I  have  never  seen  so 
many  horses  before  in  my  life,  and  got  frightfully 
mixed,  but  the  Maharaja's  experienced  eye  soon 
picked  out  the  cream ;  of  course  they  wanted  ridicu- 
lous prices  for  them,  but  Faye  was  left  to  do  the 
bargaining  and  was  no  doubt  equal  to  the  occasion. 

You  have  probably  often  heard  me  speak  of  Jimmy 
Palmer,  who  was  up  with  me  at  Oxford,  where  he  was 
a  great  friend  of  all  the  Winchester  men.  He  is  now 
Bishop  of  Bombay,  and  Robert  Brinton  Is  his  chaplain. 
With  one  of  my  contemporaries  a  bishop  and  another 
a  headmaster,  I  really  must  be  looking  out  for  my 
deanery ! 

I  went  to  lunch  with  them  in  a  delightful 
bungalow  on  Khamballa  Hill,  and  found  them  look- 
ing so  well  and  happy ;  the  bishop  dressed  in  a  long 
white  cassock  with  pectoral  cross,  very  keen  on  his 
new  work,  and  applying  himself,  as  befits  a  Fellow  of 
Balliol,  to  the  study  of  Sanscrit  and  Mahratti ;  Brinton, 
as  energetic  in  the  slums  of  Bombay  as  he  was  in 
those  of  Portsea,  and  with  all  the  latest  news  from 
his  people  at  home.  It  was  so  good  to  see  them 
both  again  and  compare  notes. 

The  Bishop  said  that  he  was  not  going  to  have  me 
in  his  diocese  without  making  use  of  me,  so  after 
lunch  we  drove  down  to  the  Cathedral,  where  he 
licensed  me  to  officiate  as  a  Missionary  Priest,  the 
last  thing  in  the  world  I  ever  thought  I  should  be  ; 
now  I  shall  be  able  to  help  them  in  the  English 

76 


NOVEMBER 

Church  at  Baroda,  which  the  Chaplain  is  only  able  to 
visit  once  a  month. 

After  leaving  them  I  picked  up  Sanka  and  went  to 
see  the  markets,  docks  and  bazaars  of  Bombay,  the 
second  city  in  the  Empire,  which  was  ceded  to 
England  by  Portugal  in  the  time  of  Charles  II.  as 
part  of  the  dowry  of  Catherine  of  Braganza.  On  the 
way  back  the  wily  Sanka  contrived  that  we  should 
pass  by  the  house  of  a  friend  of  his,  his  "  guardian," 
with  whom  he  lived  for  three  years  when  he  was 
being  educated  here.  He  suggested  that  we  should 
go  in  to  see  him,  and  when  I  heard  that  he  was  the 
Gaekwar's  "  pleader,"  or  agent,  I  agreed.  We  found 
the  old  fellow  sitting  cross-legged  on  the  floor  with  a 
friend,  with  cards  spread  out  between  them,  "  playing 
Bridges,  as  it  is  our  holiday "  as  he  explained.  He 
talked  very  volubly  and  it  was  with  some  difficulty 
that  I  managed  to  get  away.  It  transpired  that 
Sanka  had  been  having  a  square  meal  in  the  back 
room,  from  which  he  reluctantly  emerged  looking 
very  replete. 

Then  I  had  tea  myself  at  a  very  good  confectioner's, 
and  afterwards  drove  round  by  the  public  buildings, 
which  are  very  fine.  The  city  owes  not  a  little  to 
the  munificence  of  the  rulers  of  Baroda,  as  a  former 
Maharaja,  Khande  Rao  Gaekwar  gave  the  beautiful 
statue  of  Queen  Victoria  by  Noble,  and  built  the 
Royal  Alfred  Sailors'  Home,  which  has  accommodation 
for  a  hundred  inmates,  in  honour  of  the  visit  of  the 

77 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

Duke  of  Edinburgh,  who  laid  the  foundation-stone 
in  1870.  The  total  cost  was  twenty-five  thousand 
pounds. 

As  we  were  to  spend  the  night  at  the  Gaekwar's 
bungalow  on  Malabar  Hill,  we  drove  there  along  the 
Queen's  Road,  a  beautiful  avenue  by  the  seashore, 
along  which  all  the  beauty  and  fashion  of  Bombay 
turn  out  in  the  evening.  It  was  full  of  smart 
carriages  and  horses  and  there  were  many  natives  on 
the  beach  washing  and  praying,  while  one  large  party 
had  come  down  to  cast  the  ashes  of  a  dead  friend 
into  the  sea. 

I  noticed  several  Englishmen  sitting  on  the  benches, 
gazing  wistfully  over  the  sea  at  the  sun  setting  in 
the  West  to  which  they  were  longing  to  return.  All 
round  me  there  are  people  who  would  give  almost 
anything  to  return  home ;  while  I  am  dreading  the 
time  of  departure. 

A  long  pull  up  hill  brought  us  to  the  bungalow,  a 
most  comfortable  house  with  large,  airy  rooms  and 
wide  balconies  commanding  a  lovely  view  of  the  sea, 
which  is  so  near  that  you  could  almost  throw  a 
stone  into  it  from  the  garden  as  it  laps  gently  among 
the  rocks  covered  with  seaweed  at  the  foot  of  the 
hill.  Everything  here  is  as  perfect  as  it  is  in  Baroda  : 
the  house  is  lit  by  a  private  installation  of  electricity 
and  is  delightfully  cool,  the  sea-breezes  being 
delicious.  They  had  given  me  a  fine,  large  bedroom 
with  a  bathroom  opening  out  of  it. 

78 


NOVEMBER 

Maharaja  had  enjoyed  his  day  and  was  in  great 
spirits,  and  we  had  an  excellent  dinner  sent  up  from 
a  restaurant  the  proprietor  of  which  wants  to  get  his 
custom  and  came  up  himself  to  see  that  it  was  well 
served. 

Shortly  afterwards  we  went  out  again  in  the  car  to 
see  the  illuminations.  They  were  very  fine,  especially 
in  the  Bhendi  bazaar,  where  the  streets  were  so  full 
of  people  that  it  was  all  we  could  do  to  crawl  along. 
I  did  not  see  a  single  motor  out  except  our  own,  so 
that  we  were  the  objects  of  a  good  deal  of  attention, 
for  which  I  was  not  sorry,  as  I  could  have  a  good 
look  at  them  in  return.  And  what  a  sight  it  was  ! 

"  Nowhere  could  be  seen  a  play  of  livelier  hues, 
a  busier  and  brighter  city  life.  Besides  the  endless 
crowds  of  Hindu,  Guzerati  and  Mahratta  people 
coming  and  going — some  with  gay  dresses,  but 
most  with  next  to  none  at  all — between  rows  of 
grotesquely  painted  houses  and  temples,  there  are 
to  be  studied  here  specimens  of  every  race  and 
nation  of  the  East ;  Arabs  from  Muscat,  Persians  from 
the  Gulf,  Afghans  from  the  northern  frontier,  black, 
shaggy  Beluchis,  negroes  of  Zanzibar,  islanders  from 
the  Maldives  and  Laccadives,  Malagashes,  Malays  and 
Chinese  throng  and  jostle  with  Parsis  in  their  sloping 
hats,  with  Jews,  Lascars,  fishermen  Rajpoots,  Fakirs, 
Europeans,  Sepoys  and  Sahibs."  These  are  Sir  Edwin 
Arnold's  words,  not  mine,  but  I  must  indulge  myself 
with  a  quotation  now  and  then,  and  although  I 

79 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

probably  should  not  know  a  Malagash  if  I  saw  one, 
most  of  the  others  were  very  much  in  evidence,  and 
many  more  besides. 

On  the  way  back  we  had  to  stop  to  let  a  child- 
wedding  pass,  a  very  grand  and  noisy  affair  with  two 
bands,  one  playing  English  the  other  native  airs,  and 
a  long  torchlight  procession.  We  did  not  see  much 
of  the  bride,  who  was  carried  past  in  a  large  silver 
box  slung  on  staves,  but  we  saw  the  bridesmaids, 
twelve  little  tots  of  her  own  age,  three  or  four  years 
old,  toddling  along  behind,  followed  by  a  woman 
bearing  sundry  mystic  articles  on  a  tray,  and  the 
bridegroom,  a  boy  of  ten,  gorgeously  arrayed  and 
looking  very  pleased  with  himself  and  the  big  sword 
he  was  carrying. 

You  could  not  see  such  a  sight  in  Baroda,  as  the 
Gaekwar  is  strongly  opposed  to  child-marriages  and 
has  made  a  law  fixing  the  minimum  age  at  twelve,  a 
measure  which  they  have  not  ventured  to  enforce  in 
the  British  territories. 

We  spent  the  next  morning  in  the  new  palace 
which  is  being  built  for  the  Gaekwar  a  few  yards 
away  from  his  bungalow.  It  is  a  magnificent  building 
of  white  stone,  enriched  with  rare  marbles,  mosaics 
and  carved  woodwork.  The  actual  edifice  is  now 
finished,  and  skilled  workmen  from  all  parts  of  India 
are  busy  painting  and  decorating  the  rooms,  while 
outside  an  army  of  labourers  are  levelling  the  ground 
for  the  gardens  and  sawing  stone  for  the  terraces. 

80 


NOVEMBER 

The  bungalow  was  full  of  plans  for  the  furniture, 
designs  for  stained-glass  windows  and  rich  and 
beautiful  stuffs  for  carpets  and  curtains.  At  the  back, 
hidden  by  a  grove  of  palm-trees,  are  the  stables  and 
machine-houses  for  electricity. 

It  is  one  of  the  finest  buildings  in  Bombay  and 
has  already  cost  over  a  million  pounds,  and  by  the 
time  it  is  completed  half  as  much  again  will  have 
been  spent  upon  it.  Even  the  Gaekwar  seems  rather 
unwilling  to  think  of  the  bill.  I  asked  him  what  he 
was  going  to  call  it,  and  he  said  that  the  "  White 
Elephant "  would  be  rather  a  good  name. 

The  original  estimate  had  to  be  largely  increased,  as 
the  ground  in  front  is  so  steep  as  to  make  it  rather 
risky  for  cars,  and  he  had  to  buy  practically  the 
whole  hill  to  get  another  way  of  approach.  The  new 
drive,  through  a  rocky  dell  covered  with  palms  and 
watered  by  a  rivulet  such  as  one  sees  in  a  Devonshire 
coomb,  will  be  very  lovely.  The  Maharaja  himself 
seems  quite  content  with  his  bungalow,  which  will  in 
future  be  occupied  by  his  suite,  and  not  very  keen 
about  the  new  palace  ;  but  the  Maharani  persuaded 
him  to  build  it,  as  there  is  at  present  hardly  sufficient 
accommodation  for  her  when  she  visits  Bombay,  and 
his  own  natural  taste  for  bricks  and  mortar  inclined 
him  to  yield  to  her  wishes. 

In  the  afternoon  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  get  a 
permit  to  visit  the  Towers  of  Silence,  where  the  rich 
and  poor  of  the  Parsi  race  meet  in  death.  The 

81  6 


A   YEAR   WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

massive  grey  towers  looked  very  impressive  in  the 
midst  of  the  thick  woods,  and  that  is  all  that  I  will 
say  about  them,  as  you  are  not  fond  of  gruesome 
subjects  and  it  is  all  written  in  the  guide  books. 

I  sat  for  some  time  under  the  shady  trees  in  a 
beautiful  flower  garden  ;  a  cool  breeze  was  blowing 
from  the  sea,  and  the  view  over  the  waters  of  the 
islands  in  the  harbour  and  the  distant  mountains 
beyond  was  enchanting. 

After  tea  the  Maharaja  drove  me  down  the  Queen's 
Road  to  the  Apollo  Bandar,  telling  me  the  names  of 
the  various  people  who  passed  us  in  their  carriages ; 
among  them  were  the  Maharajas  of  Kolhapur  and 
Bhaunagar  and  the  Maharani  of  Kapurthala,  a  very 
beautiful  Spanish  lady  who  was  dancing  in  Paris  when 
she  met  with  her  husband. 

There  was  an  amusing  incident  at  dinner.  The 
Gaekwar  had  said  that  he  should  like  to  have  crab  ; 
when  the  fish  appeared  it  was  certainly  not  crab  ;  we 
each  took  a  mouthful  and  then  disappeared  simultane- 
ously through  different  doors !  When  we  had  washed 
out  our  mouths  the  chef  was  sent  for  to  be  repri- 
manded. He  presented  a  lamentable  figure  of 
despair : — "  I  have  sought  ze  crab,  but  I  could  not 
catch  him  ;  zen  I  have  commanded  ze  lobstaire,  but 
he  is  not ;  I  have  been  in  motor-car  and  on  bicycle  ; 
I  have  sent  telegrams,  but  in  vain."  We  tried  to 
explain  that  the  grievance  was  not  the  absence  of  the 
crab,  but  the  badness  of  the  fish ;  but  this  he  would 

82 


NOVEMBER 

not  admit  until  His  Highness  said  that  if  he  was  so 
sure  it  was  good  he  had  better  eat  it  himself,  when 
he  wept  silently. 

We  left  Bombay  at  ten  o'clock,  and  after  a  good 
night  in  the  train  I  was  riding  with  Shivajirao  in 
Baroda  early  the  next  morning.  In  the  afternoon  we 
went  out  together  again,  but  this  time  on  an  elephant 
with  a  peacock  saddle  (solid  gold,  of  course ;  you 
must  learn  to  take  that  for  granted)  to  seat  three. 
He  held  on  to  the  peacock's  head,  I  put  my  arms 
round  his  waist,  and  Turnbull  hung  on  to  me.  It 
was  very  amusing,  and  got  rather  too  exciting  when 
Shivajirao  made  the  mahout  put  the  elephant  at  top 
speed ;  the  way  he  covered  the  ground  was  extra- 
ordinary. 

After  dinner  we  had  domestic  fireworks,  letting 
them  off  ourselves  in  front  of  the  Maharani's  apart- 
ments while  she  watched  us  from  the  balcony.  The 
Gaekwar  let  off  a  few,  and  then  got  tired  of  it  and 
sat  down  on  the  steps.  Sampatrao  was  in  great  form, 
shouting  with  excitement  and  nearly  blowing  all  our 
heads  off;  but  the  person  who  enjoyed  it  most  of  all 
was  Indira,  who  looked  like  the  Queen  of  the  Serpents 
as  she  valsed  gracefully  round  wreathing  herself  in 
great  circles  of  fire.  It  was  so  fascinating  to  watch 
her  that  I  quite  forgot  my  own  part  in  the  game 
and  the  Maharani  kept  calling  to  me  not  to  be  lazy. 
Besides,  I  was  rather  afraid  that  she  might  set  fire  to 
her  flimsy  draperies,  and  on  the  alert  to  win  eternal 

83  6* 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

praise  and  glory  by  putting  her  out.  Luckily  my 
devotion  was  not  put  to  the  proof,  though  she  told 
me  the  next  day  that  her  sari  had  holes  burnt  in  it 
in  several  places,  and  was  quite  spoilt.  The  explosion 
of  a  huge  bomb,  prepared  by  Sampatrao  as  a  surprise, 
brought  a  very  jolly  evening  to  its  close. 

So  ended  the  Diwali  Festival.  I  have  enjoyed 
every  moment  of  it  thoroughly  and  hope  that  another 
Hindu  holiday  will  come  round  soon.  If  they  are  all 
as  merry  as  this  one  I  shall  end  by  making  a  bonfire 
of  the  Bishop's  licence  and  becoming  a  Brahmin 
myself. 


84 


DECEMBER 

'  I  'HE  "Missionary"  duties  laid  upon  me  by  the 
good  Bishop  are  of  the  lightest  kind,  but  I  am 
grateful  for  them  as  serving  to  keep  my  thoughts  in 
orthodox  channels  and  save  me  from  becoming  a 
devotee  of  Vishnu  or  Siva.  They  consist  of  a  service 
on  Sunday  evenings,  held  at  seven  o'clock  in  the 
English  Church.  Gladly  would  I  afford  my  congrega- 
tion more  opportunities  for  public  worship,  but  they 
will  have  none  of  them. 

They  have  for  so  long  been  accustomed  to  keeping 
one  Sunday  only  in  the  month  that  a  service  on  each 
of  the  four  seems  an  act  of  extraordinary  piety,  and, 
like  many  of  our  friends  in  the  country  at  home,  they 
have  a  holy  horror  of  works  of  supererogation.  Nor 
can  I  honestly  say  that  this  grieves  me  much. 

Sunday  has  for  so  many  years  been  to  me  a  day  of 
ceaseless  toil  and  hard  labour  that  it  looks  very 
attractive  in  its  new  guise  of  a  domestic  festival.  One 
day  in  seven  my  kind  friends  are  all  free — Maharaja 
from  his  "  shop,"  Maharani  from  her  social  duties, 
Indira  and  Shivajirao  from  their  books — and  able  to 
devote  themselves  to  Shikar,  a  word  as  dear  to  the 

85 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

native  as  to  the  English  ear,  signifying  the  pursuit  of 
game.  While  it  is  still  dark,  lights  begin  to  twinkle 
and  there  is  an  unusual  stir  and  bustle  in  the  palace. 
Down  below  is  the  head  Shikari,  surrounded  by  a 
group  of  wild  looking  under-keepers,  who  have  come 
hot-foot  from  the  country  with  news  of  the  move- 
ments of  the  game. 

Sanka's  voice  is  very  joyful  as  he  bids  me  good 
morning;  either  he  will  come  with  us  and  take  part 
in  the  fun  or  else  he  will  spend  the  day  with  his 
wife  and  children,  and  both  occupations  are  to  his 
taste.  When  I  reach  the  hall,  Sampatrao  and  Kaka 
are  already  there  and  presently  Turnbull  comes  canter- 
ing up,  throws  his  horse's  reins  to  the  syce  and  joins 
us.  Three  cars  come  humming  up,  and  at  last  we 
are  all  ready  and  pack  ourselves  into  them.  As  we 
spin  down  the  drive,  past  the  guard-house,  the  guard 
turns  out  to  present  arms,  and  the  drums  and  fifes 
play  the  Baroda  anthem ;  the  city  as  we  drive  through 
it  is  fast  asleep,  the  people,  wrapped  in  blankets  on 
the  floor  of  their  shops,  looking  like  a  museum  of 
mummies. 

When  we  reach  the  rendezvous,  where  the  country 
lane  begins  which  we  are  to  follow,  we  pay  our 
respects  to  their  Highnesses.  Maharaja  and  Indira 
are  wearing  smart  shooting  suits,  but  Her  Highness  is 
faithful  to  her  Indian  dress,  and  I  have  never  seen  her 
in  anything  else.  As  nothing  could  possibly  be  more 
becoming  to  her,  she  is  wise,  and  she  tells  me  that 

86 


DECEMBER 

there  is  no  other  dress  which  gives  such  freedom  to 
the  limbs. 

Tongas  (light  carriages  strongly  built  for  the  deep 
ruts  of  the  country  roads),  each  drawn  by  a  pair  of 
horses,  are  waiting,  and  we  distribute  ourselves  among 
them,  though  Indira  and  I  usually  prefer  to  ride  and 
spare  ourselves  the  jolting  which  the  others  are  sure 
to  get.  In  half  an  hour  we  reach  the  first  halting 
place,  a  large  tank  near  a  small  village,  and  take  our 
places  round  the  bank  under  any  cover  we  can  find. 

The  water  is  covered  with  wild  duck,  but  they  are 
wily  and  will  not  move  until  they  are  disturbed  by 
the  villagers  wading  and  swimming  in  the  water,  when 
they  rise  in  a  great  cloud  and  circle  overhead.  For 
the  next  hour  the  guns  crack  merrily,  and  then  the 
duck  give  it  up  as  a  bad  job  and  go  elsewhere,  while 
we  mount  again  and  ride  off  to  another  village,  where 
there  is  a  still  larger  tank;  here  there  are  boats,  in 
which  we  are  rowed  about  after  the  game  and  have 
plenty  of  sport. 

By  this  time  we  have  all  first-rate  appetites  and 
are  glad  to  see  preparations  for  breakfast  going  on  on 
the  bank.  The  food  is  Indian,  lovely  stuff,  with 
English  drinks,  and  we  eat  it  either  in  picnic  fashion 
or  else  at  long  wooden  tables  set  on  trestles  on  the 
bank  of  the  lake.  The  game  is  spread  out  before  us, 
and  we  find  that  we  have  done  a  good  morning's 
work,  chief  honours  falling  to  the  Maharani,  who  is 
said  to  be  the  first  shot  among  the  ladies  of  India,  so 

87 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

many  of  whom  can  shoot  well.  In  reply  to  my  com- 
pliments, she  said  very  simply  that  all  her  family  are 
good  shots  and  that  one  of  her  nieces,  ten  years  of 
age,  has  already  shot  a  tiger,  a  bison  and  a  quantity 
of  small  game. 

While  we  were  talking,  a  flock  of  herons  passed  over- 
head ;  the  Maharani  called  to  her  shikari  for  her  gun, 
and,  seated  as  she  was  at  the  table,  brought  down  two 
of  them  with  unerring  aim.  She  very  seldom  misses, 
and  if  by  chance  she  wings  a  bird  she  generally  asks 
me  to  give  it  the  coup  de  grace,  so  that  I  may  say 
that  I  have  added  something  to  the  bag ! 

After  breakfast  we  all  rest  for  an  hour,  Shivajirao 
taking  me  off  to  a  shooting-box  close  by,  where  he 
has  had  our  bedding  brought  from  Baroda,  a  refine- 
ment of  luxury  of  which  I  should  not  have  thought. 
Then  a  message  is  brought  that  there  is  a  herd  of 
black-buck  not  far  away,  and  we  go  after  them. 

Her  Highness  has  mounted  a  horse,  which  she  rides 
astride,  carrying  an  umbrella  over  her  head,  as  it  is 
still  very  hot.  Maharaja,  like  myself,  wears  a  tope,  or 
sun-helmet,  or  two  Homburg  hats  fitting  one  over  the 
other,  a  combination  peculiar  to  India  and  called  a 
larai  hat.  It  requires  a  good  deal  of  patience  to  get 
within  rifle  range,  but  at  last  a  buck  falls  to 
Maharaja's  rifle,  and  Her  Highness  secures  another 
later  on. 

If  I  am  to  get  back  in  time  for  service,  I  must 
now  be  going,  as  Slowcoach  has  had  almost  as  much 

88 


DECEMBER 

as  he  cares  about  and  will  want  to  take  things  easily; 
so  off  we  go,  with  a  groom  who  knows  the  country 
well  and  can  be  trusted  to  find  the  shortest  way 
home,  and  who  has  enough  English  to  make  him  an 
amusing  companion. 

There  are  several  of  these  fellows,  who  are  hardly 
ever  out  of  the  saddle  and  are  beautiful  horsemen. 
Until  Faye  came  they  had  it  all  their  own  way  in 
the  stables,  and  I  expect  he  has  a  hard  job  to  keep 
them  in  order.  Luckily,  they  have  all  taken  a  great 
fancy  to  me  and  don't  seem  to  mind  how  much 
trouble  they  take  on  my  account,  probably  because  I 
am  so  fond  of  the  horses,  who  like  me  in  their  turn 
because  I  am  such  a  light  weight  and  ride  them  with 
a  very  light  rein.  Slowcoach  is  now  quite  devoted  to 
me,  and  will  follow  me  about  like  a  dog,  trying  to 
poke  his  nose  into  my  pockets. 

The  horses  are  keen  to  get  home  and  we  get  back 
in  good  time,  and  after  a  cup  of  tea  and  a  leisurely 
change  of  raiment,  I  drive  down  in  the  carriage  which 
is  always  at  my  disposal,  though  I  seldom  want  it,  to 
the  church,  giving  Indira's  little  English  maid  a  lift 
in  the  hope  that  she  will  give  her  mistress  a  good 
account  of  my  sermon  afterwards. 

Mrs.  Burrows,  the  Maharani's  maid,  is  a  Roman 
Catholic,  and  goes  to  her  own  chapel.  She  is  a  very 
old  and  loyal  ally  of  mine,  and  is  a  most  useful  friend 
to  have  at  court.  We  drive  across  the  public  park 
to  the  cantonment  which  is  British  territory,  and  is 

89 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

well  laid  out  with  good  roads  and  avenues  of  trees. 
In  it  is  the  Residency,  the  camp  of  the  native 
regiment,  and  the  officers'  quarters  and  mess-room. 
There  is  a  good  deal  of  it,  marked  out  by  white 
stone  pillars,  with  golf  links  and  a  large  parade-ground 
on  which  they  play  polo.  Overlooking  this  are  most 
of  the  officers'  bungalows  with  the  church  at  the  end. 
It  all  looks  very  pretty  and  as  green  as  anything  can 
look  in  India.  Across  it  winds  a  ribbon  of  variegated 
colour,  the  converts  of  the  American  mission  walking 
two  and  two  from  their  settlement  to  the  large 
tabernacle  of  red  brick,  in  which  a  noisy  bell  is 
clanging ;  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  small  native 
bazaar  which  supplies  the  soldiers'  wants  have  the 
edifying  spectacle  of  the  members  of  the  one  and 
undivided  Catholic  Church  marching  as  to  war  in 
three  opposite  directions  and  turning  up  their  noses 
as  they  pass  one  another  ;  not  to  speak  of  the  Gallios 
who  are  playing  bridge  and  drinking  whisky-pegs  at 
the  Gymkhana. 

Is  it  really  impossible,  at  least  in  India,  to  oppose 
an  undivided  front  to  the  enemy  ?  True,  there  seem 
to  be  as  many  "  unhappy  divisions "  among  the 
religions  of  this  land  as  there  are  in  ours,  but  I 
should  like  to  see  those  first  in  the  field  left  to  play 
out  their  innings  undisturbed.  This,  however,  is  rank 
heresy,  of  which  I  am  not  yet  sufficiently  enamoured 
to  go  to  the  stake  for  it,  so  I  go  on  to  the  church, 
resisting  the  blandishments  of  the  old  Parsi  dealer 

90 


DECEMBER 

seated  among  his  cigar-boxes  and  whisky  bottles,  and 
Nimbalker's  invitation  to  join  him  in  his  garden, 
where  he  reclines  at  ease  listening  to  the  gramophone 
which  has  captivated  the  Indian  heart. 

Outside  the  church  the  faithful  are  chatting  in 
groups,  staying  out  in  the  open  air  till  the  last 
possible  moment,  and  their  carriages  are  drawn  up  in 
line  on  the  grass  under  the  trees. 

Presently  the  Resident,  the  Surra  Sahib,  or  "  big 
lord,"  drives  up  with  a  small  escort,  with  Mrs.  Meade 
and  their  two  sons ;  O'Brien,  the  Cbota  Sahib,  or 
Assistant-Resident,  is  there  with  his  wife,  a  tall,  strong 
man  and  a  great  athlete,  looking  ten  years  under  his 
age  in  spite  of  seventeen  years  spent  in  this  climate ; 
Major  Burton,  sportsman  and  author,  who  commands 
the  regiment,  and  Mrs.  Burton,  whom  I  met  at  home 
just  before  she  came  out ;  Maloney,  the  jolly  Irish 
doctor  with  his  bride ;  and  a  good  muster  of 
subalterns,  bright,  clean,  brave  English  lads,  with 
perfect  manners  and  imperturbable  good-humour,  who 
love  to  shout  out  the  old  familiar  hymn  tunes. 

Then  I  go  inside,  to  see  that  every  possible  window 
is  open,  that  no  unnecessary  lamps  are  lit  and  that 
none  of  the  punkah-wallahs  is  asleep ;  the  beaming 
native  clerk  helps  me  into  my  robes  in  the  vestry 
and  goes  out  to  stop  the  bell,  and  we  begin.  Mrs. 
Evans-Gordon  presides  at  the  organ,  and  her  twin 
daughters,  Jean  and  Joan,  dear  girls  of  the  same  age 
as  Indira,  with  whom  they  have  struck  up  a  great 


A   YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

friendship,  lead  the  singing,  to  which  the  General 
contributes  a  melodious  tenor.  The  Resident  reads 
the  lessons  and  comes  into  the  vestry  afterwards  to 
count  the  collection,  and  when  we  get  outside  again 
everyone  has  a  cheery  word  of  thanks,  "  Awfully  good 
of  you,  Padre,  to  come  and  give  us  a  show."  When 
the  Burra  Padre  is  here,  they  put  him  up  for  as  long 
as  he  can  stay,  and  the  Chota  Padre  (little  me)  is 
overwhelmed  with  invitations  to  dinner,  or  supper, 
and  returns  home  with  the  palatial  milk,  after  a 
delighful  feast  of  yarns  in  the  mess-room  or  music  in 
the  drawing-room. 

Whatever  he  may  be  like  in  other  parts  of  India, 
the  Englishman  in  Baroda  is  a  charming  person,  and, 
in  spite  of  what  one  sometimes  hears  to  the  contrary, 
I  like  to  believe  that  he  is  typical  of  his  kind.  The 
temptation  to  spend  one's  time  with  him  is  very 
great,  but  I  manage  to  resist  it,  and,  except  on 
Sundays,  I  seldom  go  to  the  camp,  unless  Maharaja  or 
Shiva jirao  are  going  there,  which  they  do  once  or 
twice  a  week. 

The  Maharaja  and  the  Resident  hit  it  off  very  well 
together ;  the  Gaekwar  likes  a  game  of  tennis  on  the 
colonel's  grass  court,  which  is  not  so  fast  as  our  own, 
and  they  sometimes  play  golf  together.  The  Residency 
is  a  large  house,  with  cool,  spacious  rooms  and  a 
beautiful  garden,  in  which  is  a  large  banyan  tree, 
where  two  cobras  have  their  home,  though  I  have 
not  yet  seen  them.  It  is  only  a  few  minutes'  walk 

92 


DECEMBER 

from  the  Gymkhana,  and  when  they  have  finished 
their  tennis  they  walk  across  there  for  a  game  of 
bridge.  At  present,  the  only  non-English  members 
are  the  Maharaja,  his  sons  and  brothers,  but  it  will 
soon  open  its  doors  to  some  of  the  more  important 
native  officials,  in  recognition  of  His  Highness'  munifi- 
cence in  providing  the  new  pavilion  which  is  being 
built. 

There  are  two  good  gravel  tennis-courts,  a  racquet- 
court,  and  one  for  badminton,  which  is  a  very  popular 
game  with  the  ladies.  Shivajirao  is  always  a  welcome 
guest  at  the  Gymkhana  on  account  of  his  skill  at 
tennis,  and  he  and  O'Brien  have  great  battles.  As 
soon  as  it  gets  dark,  swinging  lamps  are  brought  out, 
under  which  the  bridge-tables  are  set  and  four  or  five 
rubbers  are  soon  in  progress,  the  scores  being  entered 
in  a  book  and  settled  in  the  monthly  chits.  A  chit, 
by  the  way,  is  one  of  the  most  useful  Anglo-Indian 
words,  and  means  a  note  of  any  kind,  from  an  invita- 
tion to  dinner,  to  a  tradesman's  bill ;  on  board  ship, 
when  you  order  anything,  instead  of  paying  for  it 
you  sign  a  chit.  Out  here,  each  bungalow  has  its 
mounted  messenger  to  carry  chits  from  house  to 
house ;  he  wears  a  red  uniform  and  is  provided  with 
a  book  to  be  signed  on  delivery. 

Sometimes  there  is  polo  in  the  afternoon,  at  which 
Shivajirao  has  a  great  advantage,  on  account  of  the 
number  of  beautiful  polo-ponies  that  he  has ;  they  are 
always  fresh  and  keen,  and  though  the  game  only 

93 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

lasts  about  half  an  hour,  it  gives  both  men  and 
horses  plenty  of  work.  Chairs  are  placed  under  the 
trees  for  the  spectators,  and  most  of  the  ladies 
turn  out  to  watch.  When  the  game  is  over,  if  it  is 
a  band  night,  we  go  on  to  the  Gymkhana  for 
bridge,  but  generally  I  mount  one  of  Shiva jirao's 
spare  ponies  and  we  go  for  a  ride  together,  which  is 
far  jollier — a  "  mounted  Lapait  "  as  he  calls  it,  Bridge 
is  a  fascinating  game,  but  it  cannot  compare  with  the 
delights  of  the  "  Lapait  Club,"  and  any  evening  that 
it  does  not  meet  seems  an  evening  wasted. 

You  will  remembar  that  among  the  statues  in  the 
hall  of  the  palace  is  one  of  a  shikari  holding  two 
cheetahs  in  leash.  The  cheetah  is  a  kind  of  leopard, 
and  hunting  with  them  was  at  one  time  a  favourite 
sport  in  India  ;  but  they  are  now  growing  very  scarce, 
and  only  a  few  of  the  Maharajas  keep  them.  Yester- 
day the  Gaekwar,  who  is  anxious  that  I  should  miss 
nothing  that  is  worth  seeing,  had  a  cheetah-hunt 
arranged  for  me,  and  asked  Sampatrao  to  go  with  me. 
We  made  an  early  start,  and  drove  to  the  Makarpura 
Palace,  another  of  the  Gaekwar's  many  beautiful 
homes,  which  is  four  miles  out  of  Baroda.  There  is 
a  very  good  road  to  it,  with  an  open  conduit  of 
water  running  beside  it,  so  that  it  can  be  kept  well 
watered,  and  grass  rides  on  either  side. 

We  stopped  on  the  way  that  I  might  see  how  they 
catch  quail :  a  large  net,  with  wings  something  like  a 
cricket-net  had  been  put  up  and  when  we  arrived  on 

94 


DECEMBER 

the  scene  they  placed  several  cages  of  captive  birds 
behind  it.  Just  before  the  sun  rose  these  birds  began 
to  sing  very  loudly,  and  a  large  flock  of  wild  quail, 
attracted  by  the  sound,  came  flying  up  and  were 
entangled  in  the  net,  and  we  ran  up  from  the  bushes, 
where  we  had  been  hidden,  and  caught  several  dozen 
of  them. 

When  we  reached  Makarpura,  we  exchanged  our 
carriage  for  a  tonga  with  a  pair  of  horses,  and  drove 
through  the  country  lanes  to  a  village  some  five 
miles  further  on.  Here  the  cheetah  was  waiting  for 
us,  pacing  impatiently  about  at  the  end  of  his  tether, 
a  beautiful  sleek  animal  and  so  tame  that  I  went  up 
and  patted  him,  and  he  licked  my  hand  with  a 
tongue  as  rough  as  a  file.  Three  bullock-carts  were 
waiting,  one  for  us,  one  for  the  cheetah,  and  one  for 
"  drink-water  and  all  that,"  as  Sampatrao,  who  was 
getting  rather  excited,  put  it.  The  cheetah's  head 
was  hooded  and  we  set  off ;  by  special  request  I  sat 
next  to  the  driver  with  my  legs  swinging  in  front, 
almost  touching  those  of  the  bullocks.  Sampatrao 
called  out :  "  Don't  get  too  close  or  they  will  kick 
you,"  which  was  pleasant ;  however,  they  seemed 
quiet  and  sleepy  enough  and  wandered  slowly  along, 
in  spite  of  the  frequent  prodding  which  the  driver 
gave  them  with  a  sharp  stick  in  the  region  of  their 
tails.  A  camel  came  stalking  along  behind  us  to  carry 
the  "  bag,"  followed  by  three  men  on  horseback, 
fifteen  of  us  altogether. 

95 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

There  were  several  herds  of  black  buck  about,  and 
when  we  had  chosen  one  we  followed  them  slowly 
over  the  cotton  fields ;  at  first  they  were  very  shy 
and  we  had  some  trouble  to  get  near  them,  but 
gradually  they  began  to  think  that  we  were  harmless 
peasants  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  and  got  more 
careless.  As  I  wanted  to  see  as  much  of  my  friend 
the  cheetah  as  possible,  I  changed  on  to  the  cart 
where  he  was ;  it  was  so  strange  to  feel  his  hide 
brushing  against  my  hand  and  his  tail  curling  round 
my  neck  now  and  then.  At  last  we  got  within  about 
thirty  yards  of  the  herd ;  the  hood  was  removed 
from  the  cheetah's  eyes,  the  leash  slipped,  and  he 
was  off,  clearing  the  ground  with  easy,  swinging, 
noiseless  bounds.  As  soon  as  they  were  aware  of  his 
approach  they  made  off  at  great  speed,  but  the 
cheetah  was  too  swift  for  them :  going  like  lightning, 
he  picked  out  the  biggest  buck  in  the  herd,  and  soon 
caught  him  up.  Then  with  a  mighty  spring  he 
caught  him  a  tremendous  blow  on  the  flank,  breaking 
his  bones,  and  fixed  his  teeth  in  his  throat,  strangling 
him. 

We  all  ran  up,  and  the  huntsman  hauled  him  off 
with  some  difficulty,  as  he  had  now  become  very 
fierce.  When  they  had  at  last  secured  him,  we  set 
off  again  after  another  herd,  and  the  same  perform- 
ance was  gone  through  again.  When  he  had  killed 
the  second  buck,  he  was  allowed  to  feed  on  the 
blood  for  some  time  and  was  then  dragged  back  to 

96 


DECEMBER 

the  cart,  where  one  of  the  men  brought  him 
spoonfuls  of  the  liver  and  so  on,  a  horrid  sight, 
while  the  huntsman  flayed  the  buck  and  strapped  the 
carcase  on  to  the  camel,  which  had  now  come  up 
with  the  first  one. 

On  the  way  back  we  hunted  with  a  kind  of  lynx, 
which  they  call  by  its  Persian  name  of  Shiah  Gosh, 
such  a  funny-looking  little  chap  with  long,  pointed 
ears :  it  is  very  good  at  catching  a  large  bird  some- 
thing like  a  crow,  walking  very  quietly  up  to  it,  and 
then  leaping  quickly  upon  it  just  as  it  is  trying  to 
fly  away. 

When  we  reached  the  village,  the  headman  came 
up  with  a  small  deputation  to  beg  that  the  tank 
might  be  cleaned  out :  he  was  very  eloquent  and 
ended  by  snatching  his  puggari  from  his  head,  a  sign 
of  the  most  earnest  entreaty.  Sampatrao,  very  pleased 
at  being  appealed  to,  returned  evasive  answers  in  light 
and  airy  tones.  Of  course,  I  could  not  understand,  / 
but  "  probably — we  shall  see — perhaps  His  Highness," 
seemed  to  be  about  the  gist  of  it. 

Meanwhile,  it  had  grown  pretty  hot  and  we  had 
made  several  raids  on  the  cart  with  the  "  drink-water 
and  all  that."  It  was  nice  to  get  back  to  the 
Makarpura  Palace  and  have  a  bath  in  a  lovely 
modern  bath-room,  fitted  with  every  kind  of  shower, 
douche  and  spray,  and  to  sit  down  to  a  capital  lunch 
which  had  been  prepared  for  us,  part  of  it  consisting 
of  some  of  the  quail  which  we  had  caught  in  the 

97  7 


A   YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

morning.  I  went  over  the  palace  and  suggested 
going  through  the  gardens,  which  are  said  to  be  very 
beautiful,  but  Sampatrao  was  in  a  hurry  to  get  home 
and  said  that  we  should  probably  be  coming  to  stay 
here  before  long,  so  you  must  wait  till  then,  when 
you  shall  have  a  full  description. 

To  my  great  joy  I  see  a  good  deal  of  Indira  now- 
adays in  one  way  or  another.  Sometimes  we  ride 
together  in  the  morning ;  Hingujirao,  the  chief 
officer  of  Her  Highness'  household,  always  comes  with 
us,  but  rides  at  a  discreet  distance  behind  with  the 
groom,  so  that  we  can  chat  undisturbed.  On  these 
days  I  ride  my  Arab  horse  Dilrubah,  as  he  makes  a 
braver  show  than  Slowcoach,  and  she  admires  him 
very  much.  Maharaja  has  just  given  her  a  new  horse 
and  we  were  much  exercised  to  find  a  name  for  him, 
finally  choosing  Vijya,  which  means  Victory.  Some- 
times we  pick  up  the  Gordon  girls  and  go  for  a 
scamper  round  the  race-course,  a  very  merry  party. 

Hingujirao  is  such  a  nice  old  fellow,  quite  bald, 
rather  stout  and  awfully  good-natured.  He  has  some 
false  front  teeth  and  a  trick  of  moving  them  about 
with  his  tongue  in  a  comical  way  which  makes  us 
all  laugh.  He  takes  life  very  easily,  and  has  a  great 
dislike  of  anything  which  gives  him  the  smallest 
trouble,  being  in  this  respect  not  unlike  Dr.  Jadhav ; 
so  he  is  quite  delighted  when  I  come  and  take  Indira 
off  his  hands  for  a  bit. 

On    mornings    when    Maharaja    is    reading    political 


DECEMBER 

economy  with  Turnbull,  I  stroll  down  to  the  school, 
where  Indira  is  working  in  the  verandah  with  her 
tutor  Fardesai,  another  most  amiable  person,  very 
clever,  quick  and  intelligent.  We  discuss  the  subject 
of  her  next  essay  and  Fardesai  is  sent  off  to  the 
library  for  a  book  which  will  clear  up  some  disputed 
point,  and  as  the  library  is  a  large  one  and  the  books 
not  very  well  arranged,  it  takes  him  some  time  to 
find  it. 

Tea  in  the  schoolroom  when  work  is  done  is  a 
very  pleasant  meal ;  Sampatrao's  two  daughters  are 
there,  but  they  are  very  shy  and  silent,  and  Indira 
and  I  have  to  do  most  of  the  talking.  It  is  delight- 
ful to  hear  her  fresh  and  original  thoughts,  wittily 
expressed,  on  things  which  interest  her,  and  they  are 
legion,  for  the  great  mystery  of  life,  with  all  its 
treasures,  new  and  old,  is  spread  out  before  her  and 
she  plunges  into  it  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  youth. 

After  tea  we  play  badminton,  a  game  which 
displays  the  graceful  outlines  of  her  figure  and  the 
charming  folds  of  her  dress  to  the  greatest  advantage, 
or  wander  through  the  gardens  looking  for  flowers. 
In  her  bedroom  she  has  a  "  little  idol  which  Mother 
gave  me."  She  used  to  pray  to  it,  "  Oh !  let  me 
go  to  England,"  and  as  her  prayer  was  granted  she 
looks  to  it  for  help  in  all  her  wishes,  and  only  the 
very  choicest  flowers  are  good  enough  to  offer  to  it : 
but  you  must  be  very  careful  not  to  smell  them 
first  or  you  will  defile  them. 

99  7* 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

Before  dinner  we  sometimes  get  half  an  hour 
together  at  the  piano,  and  I  have  just  written  a  new 
valse  for  her,  in  which  I  have  tried  to  express  some- 
thing of  the  rhythmic  beauty  which  glorifies  her 
every  movement.  Above  and  beyond  all  her  many 
accomplishments,  she  is  one  of  the  sweetest  girls,  very 
gentle  and  nice-minded,  happy  and  contented.  He 
will  be  a  lucky  man  who  wins  her,  for  she  has  not 
her  peer  among  the  women  of  India,  and  I  know  of 
very  few  outside  India  who  can  be  named  in 
comparison  with  her. 

One  morning,  Maharani  sent  for  me  and  took  me 
over  all  her  rooms,  but  I  cannot  hope  to  describe 
them  to  you  :  words  fail  me  to  tell  of  the  multitude 
of  instruments  for  the  toilet  in  ivory  and  gold  spread 
on  the  lace  coverings  of  the  dressing  tables,  in  grace- 
ful order  before  the  large  crystal  mirrors ;  of  ward- 
robes piled  with  hundreds  of  saris,  wrought  by 
cunning  hands  out  of  the  most  costly  and  dazzling 
materials ;  of  drawers  filled  with  the  finest  lace  from 
Brussels  and  from  Ireland  (she  confessed  to  being 
rather  extravagant  in  the  matter  of  lace) ;  of  jewels 
sparkling  in  golden  dressing-cases ;  of  walls  hung  with 
priceless  tapestries ;  of  bedsteads  and  furniture  of 
gold  and  silver,  covered  with  magnificent  brocades ; 
of  slippers  and  shawls  and  rugs  and  curtains  that  are 
miracles  of  the  embroiderer's  art. 

Everything    was    there     which    an     exquisite     taste 
could  imagine  and  unlimited  wealth  command.     What 

100 


DECEMBER 

interested  me  more  than  all  these  things  was  the 
case  of  lace  handkerchiefs  which  Indira  has  worked 
with  her  monogram  for  a  birthday  gift.  What  will 
interest  and  please  you  most  was  the  large  Japanese 
tapestry  which  belonged  to  your  dear  friend,  Denis 
Newman,  which  his  mother  sent  to  the  Maharani 
after  his  sad  death  out  here,  and  which  Her  Highness 
has  hung  in  the  place  of  honour  in  her  own  favourite 
room  and  values  as  the  greatest  of  all  her  treasures. 

It  was  all  too  fascinating,  and  I  only  tore  myself 
away  with  great  reluctance  when  a  message  came 
from  Maharaja  that  he  was  waiting  for  me  to  come 
to  breakfast.  Before  I  left,  Maharani  gave  me  some 
of  her  favourite  scent  and  some  special  sticks  of 
incense  to  burn  in  my  room.  The  Indian  scents  are 
much  stronger  than  ours,  but  have  a  delicious  aroma  : 
they  are  often  made  up  in  the  form  of  a  paint,  which 
can  be  applied  as  a  caste-mark  to  the  forehead  or 
tucked  away  within  a  fold  of  the  ear. 

As  I  was  leaving  Her  Highness*  apartments  after 
my  first  visit  to  them,  I  saw  a  little  creature  in  the 
corridor,  dressed  in  a  bright  costume,  who  came 
towards  me  and  then  was  seized  with  a  fit  of  shyness 
and  ran  away.  I  thought  it  was  a  girl,  but  it  turned 
out  to  be  a  little  orphan  boy  who  was  found  by  the 
Maharani  wandering  destitute  about  the  streets  in 
Poona.  She  took  compassion  on  him  and  adopted 
him,  and  he  now  has  the  run  of  the  palace  and  is 
being  educated.  He  has  a  great  affection  for  me  and 

101 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

follows  me  about  like  a  dog,  gliding  into  my  room 
when  I  am  reading  in  the  afternoon  and  sitting  at 
my  feet.  It  is  amusing  to  teach  him  English  by 
means  of  signs,  and  he  can  now  say,  "  Eye,  nose, 
mouth,  e-arr,  cheek,  chin,  tooth,  teeth,  tongue," 
touching  each  of  these  features  as  he  names  them. 

When  he  has  finished  his  lesson,  I  reward  him  with 
dainties  from  my  tea-table,  which  he  eats  with  great 
composure.  The  other  day  he  had  his  head  shaven 
quite  close,  which  made  him  look  the  funniest  little 
object ;  so  I  taught  him  to  say,  "  I  am  a  bald  boy," 
and  sent  him  running  off  to  repeat  it  to  the 
Maharani.  Shivajirao  has  dubbed  him  my  ABC. 

Maharaja  has  been  up  to  Bombay  to  spend  a  few 
days  with  Sir  George  Clarke,  at  Government  House, 
and  has  come  back  very  pleased  with  his  visit  and 
singing  high  praises  of  Miss  Clarke,  who  has  just  come 
out  from  home.  According  to  him,  she  is  a  hand- 
some, charming  girl,  and  a  paragon  of  wit  and 
learning.  They  have  been  talking  Herbert  Spencer, 
Swinburne  and  Rossetti  together  by  the  hour,  so  she 
has  evidently  not  been  slow  to  find  out  in  which 
direction  his  tastes  lie.  He  has  asked  the  Govern- 
ment House  party  to  come  and  spend  Christmas 
here,  but  it  is  not  yet  certain  if  they  will  be  able  to 
come. 

One  evening,  while  he  was  away,  I  was  with 
Shivajirao  up  in  his  rooms  helping  him  to  arrange  the 
athletic  prizes  which  he  won  at  the  Deccan  College, 

102 


DECEMBER 

at  Poona ;  we  went  out  on  to  the  balcony  and  were 
rewarded  by  one  of  the  most  charming  sights  in  the 
world. 

Down  below  on  the  terrace  over  the  Zenana  Porch, 
in  the  light  of  the  brilliant  moon  and  of  shaded 
electric  lamps,  the  Maharani  was  sitting  on  a  heap  of 
cushions  working  at  a  frame  of  embroidery;  two  of 
her  women  stood  behind  her  waving  large  fans  of 
ostrich  plumes,  and  at  her  feet  Indira  was  reading 
aloud  from  some  book  to  which  her  cousins  were 
listening,  while  strains  of  soft  music  floated  on 
the  air  from  the  stringed  instruments  of  three 
Mohammedan  players  seated  at  a  respectful  distance 
and  absorbed  in  their  art.  The  deft  movements  of 
the  performers,  the  languorous  graceful  attitudes  of 
the  listening  ladies,  the  warm  splashes  of  colour  from 
their  silken  robes  gleaming  beneath  the  lamps,  the 
dim  background  of  marble  trellis- work  of  pinnacle  and 
dome  bathed  in  the  cool  light,  formed  a  scene  from 
fairy-land,  a  picture  in  which  the  skill  of  Leighton 
and  of  Alma-Tadema  seemed  mingled  together  to 
weave  a  magical  web  of  beauty,  upon  which  I  gazed 
spell-bound,  until  at  length,  smitten  with  sudden 
shame  at  playing  the  spy  upon  such  a  holy  scene  of 
peaceful  happiness,  I  forced  myself  to  cheat  my 
reverent  eyes  of  further  delight  in  the  vision. 

Christmas  has  come  and  gone ;  you  would  naturally 
think  that  it  is  a  festival  not  much  observed  in  Indian 
courts,  but  it  is  years  since  I  have  spent  such  a  gay 

103 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

one.  At  the  last  moment,  Sir  George  Clarke  was 
detained  in  Bombay  by  urgent  affairs,  but  his  daughter 
came,  accompanied  by  Sir  George  Warrender,  who  is 
in  command  of  the  Indian  Squadron,  and  his  wife 
Lady  Maud.  No  pains  were  spared  to  give  them  an 
impressive  reception  and  to  make  their  visit  enjoyable, 
and  it  was  evident  that  they  enjoyed  every  moment 
of  it ;  they  came  for  a  week  and  at  the  end  of  ten 
days  they  would  have  been  only  too  delighted  to 
gratify  the  Maharaja's  desire  that  their  visit  should  be 
still  further  prolonged,  but  their  engagements  else- 
where made  it  impossible. 

Shivajirao  gave  up  his  rooms  to  Miss  Clarke,  and  Sir 
George  and  Lady  Maud  had  mine,  while  I  accepted 
the  most  kind  hospitality  of  the  Evans-Gordons,  who 
insisted  that  I  should  come  and  go  just  as  I  pleased. 
Turnbull  was  installed  at  the  palace  as  Master  of  the 
Ceremonies,  and  carried  out  his  duties  to  perfection, 
ransacking  the  library  and  the  gardens  to  make  the 
rooms  of  our  guests  even  more  beautiful  and  comfort- 
able than  they  were  before,  and  drawing  up  a 
delightful  programme  of  sight-seeing  and  sport,  festivity 
and  amusement.  They  hunted  with  cheetahs,  shot 
duck  and  antelope,  took  part  in  a  golf  competition 
and  a  tennis  tournament,  rode  on  elephants  and 
camels,  witnessed  native  plays  and  entertainments  and 
generally  had  a  good  time.  Nor  was  the  more  serious 
business  of  life  forgotten. 

While  entertaining  him  in  Bombay,  Miss  Clarke  had 

104 


Photo  SB] 


M\S»   CLARKE. 


DECEMBER 

become  an  ardent  admirer  of  the  Gaekwar  and  his 
methods,  and  the  chief  object  of  her  visit  was  that 
she  might  see  for  herself  the  schemes  which  he  is 
carrying  out  for  the  welfare  of  his  subjects  and  es- 
pecially the  efforts  which  he  is  making  to  better  their 
condition  through  education ;  so  that  every  day  there 
was  a  visit  to  the  hospital,  the  gaol,  the  college  or 
the  State  schools  for  boys  and  girls ;  and  there  was 
not  one  of  the  many  little  schools  which  His  High- 
ness has  founded  throughout  the  city  for  the  out- 
cast and  despised  which  was  not  gladdened  and  en- 
couraged by  the  presence  of  the  Gaekwar  and  his 
enthusiastic  guest,  who  delighted  in  making  her 
friendly  sympathy  clear  to  them  all  and  in  taking 
pains  that  each  individual  child  should  receive  a 
pleasant  smile  or  a  kind  word. 

On  most  evenings  there  was  a  dinner  party  followed 
by  an  entertainment.  I  sat  next  to  Miss  Clarke  at 
dinner  on  the  night  of  her  arrival  and  found  her  a 
most  delightful  companion.  I  had  rather  expected  a 
Blue-stocking,  and  the  pretty,  delicate  looking  girl, 
with  her  large  inquiring  blue  eyes,  full  of  fun,  quick 
at  repartee  and  thirsting  for  new  sensations,  was  a 
pleasant  surprise. 

We  had  much  in  common,  our  love  of  music,  our 
delight  in  the  fantastic  and  humorous  side  of  life, 
and,  above  all,  our  intense  admiration  of  India  and 
devotion  to  her  people.  Any  shyness  and  reserve  that 
there  may  have  been  at  the  beginning  soon  disappeared, 

105 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

and  we  were  talking  and  laughing  together  as  though 
we  had  been  friends  for  years. 

It  was  easy  to  see  that  Maharani  Sahib  was  a  com- 
plete revelation  to  Sir  George  Warrender  ;  he  had  no 
doubt  formed  his  own  cut  and  dried  ideas  of  Indian 
ladies,  and  was  amazed  to  find  them  all  upset.  "  What 
a  woman ! "  he  said  to  me  as  we  drank  our  port 
together,  "  By  Jove,  sir,  she's  wonderful,  marvellous. 
I  have  never  seen  anyone  like  her."  After  dinner 
Lady  Maud  delighted  us  all  by  her  singing ;  she  has 
one  of  those  really  great  contralto  voices  which  take 
you  by  storm.  I  made  her  a  copy  of  my  "  Little 
Boy  Blue,"  which  she  sang  with  the  greatest  tender- 
ness and  feeling. 

On  Christmas  Eve  we  all  dined  at  the  Residency 
and  played  children's  games  afterwards,  the  Gordon 
twins  taking  the  lead  and  initiating  Maharaja  into  the 
mysteries  of  Blind  Man's  Buff. 

Christmas  Day  began  with  a  celebration  of  the 
Holy  Communion  at  the  orthodox  hour  of  eight 
o'clock,  which  was  well  attended.  The  church  was 
decorated  with  all  the  green  stuff  that  could  be 
found,  and  red  and  yellow  berries  as  much  like  holly 
and  mistletoe  as  possible,  and  looked  very  pretty. 

When  I  got  outside  afterwards  I  found  Shivajirao 
waiting  with  the  horses ;  he  had  planned  this  as  a 
surprise  for  me,  so  that  I  should  not  be  done  out  of 
my  ride.  When  we  got  home  I  found  the  most 
lovely  present  from  Maharaja,  two  sets  of  sleeve-links 

106 


DECEMBER 

made  out  of  gold  mohurs  of  his  own  coinage  with 
his  image  and  superscription.  Maharani  and  Indira 
had  also  sent  me  their  photographs  in  beautiful  silver 
frames.  Shiva jirao  gave  me  a  Gaekwari  puggari,  of 
the  royal  shape  and  colour,  with  a  graceful  little  note 
to  say  that  I  was  now  one  of  their  family.  Dr. 
Jadhav  sent  me  such  a  funny  little  Christmas  card, 
"  Greeting "  in  a  border  of  violets ;  and  Hingujirao  a 
picture  postcard  of  some  railway  station  that  I  had 
never  heard  of. 

I  was  completely  overwhelmed  by  these  marks  of 
affection,  and  Sanka,  who  was  almost  as  pleased  as  I 
was,  said  :  "  Their  Highnesses  and  all  the  royal  family 
love  you  very  much,  Sahib."  "  Yes,"  I  said,  "  they 
do;  and  I  can't  think  what  I  have  done  to  deserve 
it."  "  Oh,"  he  said  sweetly,  "it  is  all  through  your 
own  goodness !  " 

We  all  went  to  lunch  at  Ajwa,  a  beautiful  artificial 
lake  eighteen  miles  away,  from  which  Baroda  gets  its 
supply  of  water,  brought  through  steel  pipes  and 
filtered  at  a  large  purifying  station  by  sand  and 
permanganate  of  potash.  We  went  out  in  the  cars, 
passing  through  the  city  on  the  way,  and  got  there 
very  quickly,  as  the  road  is  straight  and  good.  Boats 
were  ready  to  take  us  out  on  the  water,  and  we  got 
some  good  shooting.  I  like  the  lake  very  much,  as 
from  it  you  get  a  lovely  view  of  the  only  mountain 
which  can  be  seen  from  Baroda,  rising  craggy  and 
steep  above  the  plain  :  I  have  not  yet  been  there,  but 

107 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE  GAEKWAR 

it  has  a  great  fascination  for  me,  as  it  is  said  to  be 
covered  with  ancient  ruins,  among  which  the  tigers 
prowl. 

At  the  end  of  the  lake  is  a  good  pavilion,  where 
we  had  lunch.  There  are  several  bedrooms  in  it,  so 
that  the  Gaekwar  can  use  it  as  a  shooting-box.  In 
the  afternoon  we  were  very  lazy,  and  lay  on  the  bank 
under  the  trees,  while  Sir  George  reeled  off  thrilling 
tales  of  the  sea  and  Miss  Clarke  told  us  a  beautiful 
Hindu  love-story. 

At  seven  o'clock  we  assembled  again  for  Divine 
Service  in  the  church.  The  Burra  Padre  was  there 
and  Mrs  Evans-Gordon  made  me  take  her  place  at 
the  organ.  We  had  all  the  dear  old  Christmas  hymns 
and  several  carols :  it  seemed  so  strange  to  be  singing 
about  the  "  winter  snow  "  with  the  punkahs  swinging 
over  our  heads  and  the  thermometer  at  eighty  in  the 
shade.  That  is  nothing  in  India ;  on  days  when  we 
should  be  fainting  and  talking  of  the  dreadful  heat- 
wave if  we  had  them  at  home,  we  say  here  how 
delightfully  cool  it  is,  and  clothing  which  we  find 
insufferably  heavy  here  would  there  be  thought  hardly 
decent. 

At  half-past  eight  there  was  a  big  banquet  in  the 
small  Durbar  hall,  to  which  all  the  English  colony 
were  bidden :  eighty  of  us  sat  down  to  tables 
arranged  in  horse-shoe  form,  the  centre  being  filled 
with  flowering  plants  with  tiny  coloured  electric 
globes  hidden  among  their  leaves  and  a  great  block 

108 


DECEMBER 

of  ice  changing  at  intervals  to  all  the   colours    of   the 
rainbow. 

The  dinner,  from  the  turtle-soup  to  the  blazing 
plum-pudding  and  mince  pies,  was  excellent,  and  all 
India  must  have  been  ransacked  to  procure  dainties 
for  it,  and  down  below  in  the  court  the  string 
orchestra  discoursed  sweet  music,  until  at  the  end 
the  skirling  of  the  pipes  was  heard  and  we  linked 
hands  round  the  table  and  joined  in  the  strains  of 
Auld  Lang  Syne. 

It  had  been  rumoured  that  a  surprise  had  been 
prepared  after  dinner,  and  when  the  Gaekwar  led  the 
way  to  the  billiard-room  we  found  Mr.  Stevenson, 
the  champion  player,  waiting  to  play  an  exhibition 
match  against  a  Parsi  whom  he  had  brought  with 
him.  Seats  had  been  so  arranged  that  everyone  had 
a  good  view,  and  for  an  hour  or  more  we  sat 
enthralled  while  the  wizard  worked  wonders  with  the 
balls,  playing  more  for  the  sake  of  showing  an  endless 
variety  of  strokes  than  of  piling  up  long  tiresome 
breaks,  and  coming  to  grief  at  attempts  which  were 
almost  as  marvellous  as  though  they  had  succeeded. 

A  display  of  fireworks  took  us  all  out  on  to  the 
terrace,  and  when  the  guests  had  departed  we 
returned  to  the  billiard-room,  where  Stevenson 
showed  us  a  great  number  of  extraordinary  tricks  and 
tours  de  Jorce.  We  had  all  got  so  keen  on  billiards 
that  it  was  of  the  greatest  interest  to  us,  and 
Stevenson,  who  ought  to  have  returned  to  Bombay 

109 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

the  next  morning,  was  persuaded  to  stay  for  twenty- 
four  hours  longer  to  give  Maharaja  and  Shivajirao 
some  lessons.  The  next  day  the  Gaekwar,  who  loves 
a  joke,  put  up  a  purse  of  five  hundred  rupees  to  be 
played  for  between  the  champion  and  Morenas. 
Morenas,  of  course,  had  a  good  start  and  looked  at 
first  as  though  he  might  win,  but  he  got  so  nervous 
and  excited  that  he  lost  the  use  of  his  legs  and 
had  to  lie  on  the  sofa  and  have  them  massaged 
before  he  could  go  on.  It  was  the  funniest  sight 
you  ever  saw,  and  made  us  laugh  till  the  tears  rolled 
down. 

He  was  so  mortified  at  his  defeat  that  he 
challenged  Stevenson  to  another  game  for  a  hundred 
rupees  a  side,  but  before  it  was  over  he  became 
completely  paralysed  and  had  to  be  carried  away. 
He  was  all  right  again  the  next  day  and  Stevenson 
very  good-naturedly  refused  to  take  his  money,  so  no 
harm  was  done,  and  he  now  laughs  as  heartily  as 
anyone  at  his  discomfiture.  He  is  such  a  pleasant 
little  man  and  really  a  capital  player  in  his  calmer 
moments,  and  I  can  sympathize  with  him  because  I 
often  get  so  nervous  myself.  The  marker  of  the 
woeful  countenance  had  a  new  uniform  in  honour  of 
the  occasion :  he  had  sent  in  a  petition  beforehand 
to  Shivajirao  begging  that  we  would  be  graciously 
pleased  not  to  laugh  when  he  came  to  the  "  sixeties," 
and  as  this  had  been  granted  he  was  quite  happy. 
In  the  evening  there  was  a  gala  performance  at  the 

no 


DECEMBER 

theatre,  a  large  wooden  building  arranged  after  the 
plan  of  an  English  theatre,  with  a  very  big  and  deep 
stage.  Their  Highnesses  did  not  go,  but  a  number 
of  the  English  colony  had  been  invited,  and  all  the 
stalls  were  reserved  for  us.  The  rest  of  the  audience 
sat  in  the  dress  circle,  the  men  separated  from  the 
women  on  either  side  of  a  large  box  for  purdah 
ladies  in  the  centre,  with  a  "  chick "  or  screen  in 
front  of  it,  while  in  the  gallery  above  a  mixed 
multitude  sat  indiscriminately. 

When  Maharani  attends  the  theatre,  the  whole  of 
the  dress  circle  is  screened  and  reserved  for  her. 
The  prompt  box,  scenery  and  footlights  are  quite 
European,  and  a  palpitating  slow  music  accompanies 
death  scenes  and  other  emotional  incidents.  The 
costumes  were  gorgeous,  and  the  scenery  quite  good, 
with  many  changes.  The  piece  was  melodramatic 
and  as  full  of  murders  as  the  most  approved  old 
Adelphi  drama.  The  women's  parts  were  all  taken 
by  boys,  and  the  performers  had  made  up  their  faces 
so  that  they  were  almost  as  fair  as  Europeans,  which 
is  considered  a  beauty  and  a  sign  of  high  caste. 
There  was  a  good  deal  of  singing  of  the  usual  rather 
painful  kind,  with  a  nasal  production  and  much 
wriggling  and  making  of  faces  over  high  notes,  and 
the  effect  of  the  beautiful  native  instruments  in  the 
orchestra  was  spoilt  by  a  terrible  harmonium  in  the 
middle  played  by  the  conductor. 

The  comic  relief  was  of  much  the  same  kind  as  in 

in 


A   YEAR  WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 

our  theatres,  and  the  audience  seemed  to  find 
amusement  in  almost  the  same  situations  that 
entertain  European  audiences.  What  amused  us  most 
was  the  programme,  which  had  been  printed  in 
English,  each  one  of  the  innumerable  scenes  being 
described  at  some  length. 

The  play  had  begun  at  nine  and  we  got  there  at 
ten  o'clock ;  a  refreshment  tent  had  been  put  up 
outside  and  the  palace  servants  were  in  attendance 
with  coffee,  ices,  pegs  and  cigars  which  we  were 
allowed  to  smoke.  By  midnight  we  had  enough  of  it, 
and,  in  spite  of  our  anxiety  to  see  the  "  experiment 
of  the  freezing  mixture  on  the  schoolmaster's  wife " 
which  the  programme  promised  us,  we  decided  to 
"  make  a  move,"  as  the  natives  love  to  say.  To 
prevent  the  presentation  of  interminable  dramas  no 
play  in  India  is  allowed  to  continue  after  1.30  a.m., 
although  the  audience  would  gladly  watch  it  all 
night.  When  the  servants  brought  our  wraps,  there 
was  more  hilarity  when  it  was  seen  that  Sanka  had 
brought  my  dressing-gown  instead  of  my  great  coat. 
He  probably  thought  it  was  a  kind  of  Indian  shawl. 
The  manager  was  waiting  outside  with  a  tray  piled 
with  garlands  of  tuberoses  which  he  placed  round 
our  necks ;  my  appearance  in  garland  and  dressing- 
gown  over  my  evening  kit  kept  us  merry  until  we 
reached  home,  and  when  I  went  on  to  the  Gordons' 
bungalow  the  General  nearly  had  a  fit. 

There  was  a  great  event  the  next  day,  nothing  less 

112 


DECEMBER 

than  the  marriage  of  my  old  friend  and  pupil 
Vishwasrao,  better  known  as  Baba  Sahib,  to  which  I 
had  been  bidden  some  days  before  by  a  beautiful 
invitation  in  Mahratti  printed  in  gold  on  pink  paper. 
Some  little  distance  beyond  the  parade-ground  in 
the  palace  compound  there  is  a  very  pretty  enclosure 
with  marble  seats  under  shady  trees,  and  in  the 
middle  a  large  marble  swimming  bath  with  coloured 
statues  of  Hindu  divinities  rising  on  pedestals  from 
the  water,  among  which  we  sometimes  disport 
ourselves  on  days  of  weary  heat. 

In  a  house  discreetly  overlooking  this  pleasant  spot 
dwelt  the  bride,  evidently  the  daughter  of  some 
person  of  distinction,  though  it  is  so  difficult  to  get 
accurate  information  here  on  any  subject  that  I  have 
not  discovered  exactly  who  she  is.  The  Hindus  are 
naturally  a  suspicious  race  ;  their  instinct  is  to  mislead, 
and  they  have  raised  dissimulation  to  a  fine  art.  Of 
them  it  may  well  be  said  in  the  words  of  the  poet : 

"  Oh,  what  a  tangled  web  we  weave  when  first  we  practise  to  deceive  ! 
But  when  you've  practised  it  for  years  all  difficulty  disappears." 

If  they  are  entirely  ignorant  on  any  subject,  they 
will  pretend  to  know  all  about  it,  and  they  are 
peculiarly  ingenious  in  concealing  any  knowledge  that 
they  do  happen  to  possess.  However,  they  assured 
us  that  a  bride  of  some  kind  was  to  be  produced,  so 
at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  made  our  way  to 
the  house  aforesaid  and  assembled  in  the  inner  court, 

113  8 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

round  which  chairs  had  been  placed  on  a  raised 
verandah.  Down  below,  the  Brahmins  in  their  war 
paint  were  busy  making  a  mud  platform,  crooning 
weird  songs  and  using  mysterious  incantations ;  up 
above  us  a  purdah  gallery  crowded  with  girls,  whose 
bright  eyes  flashed  behind  the  "  chick." 

Soon  music  was  heard  in  the  distance,  and  we  went 
to  the  door  to  watch  the  arrival  of  the  bridegroom's 
procession,  which  was  headed  by  a  native  band  on 
camels,  playing  the  wildest  tunes  on  the  shrillest 
instruments  with  a  deafening  drum  accompaniment. 
Baba  was  seated  on  an  elephant,  wearing  a  barbaric 
head-dress  with  a  heavy  gold  fringe  hanging  down 
over  his  nose,  and  looking  very  fierce  and  proud, 
though  just  the  ghost  of  a  twinkle  came  into  his  eyes 
when  he  caught  sight  of  me.  It  is  not  easy  to  look 
dignified  while  you  are  dismounting  from  an  elephant, 
but  he  did  his  best.  Then  he  marched  into  the 
courtyard  and  took  his  seat  cross-legged  on  the  mud 
platform,  while  the  Brahmins  chanted  a  litany, 
making  excruciating  faces  the  while.  Suddenly  a  door 
at  the  back  opened,  and  the  father  of  the  bride 
rushed  in  carrying-  her  in  his  arms  and  plumped  her 
down  on  the  platform  opposite  to  Baba,  who  took  no 
notice  of  her  whatever.  She  was  not  veiled,  but  her 
hair  was  so  thickly  braided  with  white  flowers  that 
you  could  not  very  well  see  her  face,  which  she  kept 
modestly  turned  to  the  ground. 

The  mystic  rites  which  were  performed  were  lost 

114 


DECEMBER 

upon  me,  but  I  remember  that  they  were  tied 
together  with  a  long  cord  by  the  Brahmins,  who  then 
gave  Baba  a  handful  of  rice  which  he  threw  over  the 
bride ;  and  then  we  all  began  to  throw  rice  as  hard 
as  we  could,  just  as  we  do  at  a  wedding  at  home,  the 
ladies  in  the  purdah  gallery  joining  in  with  great 
energy :  one  of  them,  a  pretty  girl  with  a  large 
diamond  nose-ring,  seemed  to  be  aiming  hers  at  me, 
but  I  did  not  discover  who  she  was  until  Indira 
accused  me  at  dinner  of  having  "  cut "  her  in  the 
morning. 

I  then  noticed  for  the  first  time  that  her  nose  was 
pierced  on  one  side  for  a  ring ;  she  very  seldom 
wears  one,  though  she  evidently  thinks  it  adds  to  the 
beauty  of  the  face  :  to  my  unaccustomed  eyes  it  gives 
it  rather  a  lop-sided  appearance. 

Meanwhile  a  terrific  noise  was  going  on,  the  camel 
band  playing  on  one  side  of  the  house,  the  military 
band  on  the  other,  and  the  Brahmins  in  the  middle 
trying  to  out-do  them  both.  No  ceremony  in  India 
is  complete  without  the  offering  of  flowers,  which  the 
bride's  father  then  proceeded  to  make  to  all  the 
guests,  taking  them  from  trays  carried  behind  him  by 
servants. 

First  a  garland  of  beautiful  white  scented  flowers  is 
placed  round  your  neck — a  delicate  operation  in  the 
case  of  an  English  girl  wearing  a  large  picture  hat — 
and  the  conventional  bouquet  handed  to  you ;  you 
are  then  sprinkled  with  rose-water  from  a  silver  flask, 

115  8* 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

and  finally  a  spoonful  of  the  precious  attar  of  roses 
is  taken  from  a  sort  of  mustard-pot  and  daubed  on 
your  hand.  It  is  an  anxious  moment  when  there  are 
not  enough  garlands  to  go  round  and  they  are  only 
given  to  the  most  honoured  guests ;  you  have  then  to 
assume  an  unconcerned  look  as  though  you  had  not 
observed  what  was  going  on.  When  two  or  three 
dozen  people  are  waiting  with  garlands  for  the 
Gaekwar  he  wears  one  of  them  and  just  touches  the 
others,  which  are  then  collected  by  a  servant  in  a 
business-like  way.  It  is  a  graceful  custom,  especially 
when  the  recipient  is  wearing  native  dress :  when  you 
are  clothed  in  a  frock-coat  and  top-hat  it  is  not  so 
becoming. 

In  India,  wedding  festivities  last  for  several  days.  I 
should  very  much  have  liked  to  see  the  whole  of 
them,  but  Maharaja  thought  that  they  might  bore 
the  rest  of  our  party  and  had  arranged  that  Turnbull 
should  take  us  out  for  a  picnic  into  the  country  to 
see  the  State  elephants,  which  are  often  taken  from 
their  stables  in  the  city  to  an  encampment  at  a 
village  called  Domad  some  six  miles  away. 

Driving  through  the  country,  which  grew  more 
wooded  and  beautiful  as  we  went  on,  we  suddenly 
came  upon  a  scene  which  brought  delighted  exclama- 
tions of  surprise  and  pleasure  to  our  lips ;  before  us 
were  spread  the  clear  waters  of  a  large  lake,  in  the 
middle  of  which  rose  an  island  with  an  ancient 
temple,  almost  buried  in  creepers  covered  with  large 

116 


DECEMBER 

purple  blossoms.  On  the  bank  was  an  old  pavilion 
with  shady  arcades  and  sunny  steps  descending  to  the 
water.  And  all  around,  under  the  huge  trees  of  the 
spacious  forest,  were  the  lordly  elephants,  some 
stretched  at  ease  upon  the  ground,  others  lazily 
swinging  their  trunks  to  brush  away  the  flies,  giving 
themselves  a  dry  shampoo  with  bundles  of  hay  or 
munching  sugar-canes. 

There  are  about  fifty  elephants  in  Baroda,  of  which 
some  thirty  were  here,  the  others  being  granted  to 
high  officials,  as  marks  of  the  royal  favour,  with  a 
suitable  allowance  for  their  maintenance,  each  of  them 
costing  about  two  hundred  pounds  a  year.  Sampatrao 
is  very  proud  of  his,  and  has  built  him  a  stable 
almost  as  big  as  his  own  house ;  but  others  are  not 
so  pampered,  and  there  are  several  places  in  the  city 
where  you  may  see  an  elephant  standing  in  an  open 
yard  just  off  the  street,  taking  a  mild  interest  in  the 
passers-by  and  in  the  games  of  the  children  playing 
at  his  feet. 

Near  their  gigantic  charges  the  keepers  were  sitting 
in  groups,  chatting  and  smoking  hubble-bubble  pipes, 
Mohammedans  all  of  them,  with  grave  faces  and 
venerable  beards.  They  rose  and  gave  us  the  salaam, 
and  as  we  had  a  native  with  us  who  spoke  English, 
we  were  soon  chatting  with  them  as  we  walked  round 
to  inspect  their  pets  and  feed  them  with  the  nearest 
thing  to  the  regulation  bun  that  we  had  been  able 
to  get.  Each  one  had  some  story  to  tell  of  his  own 

117 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

particular   elephant,  who   was,  of    course,  far    superior 
to  the  others. 

Afterwards,  we  sat  in   the   pavilion   and   watched   a 

dozen   hathis   taken   down  to  the  lake  to  bathe  ;    they 

swam  almost  under  water,  with   just    the   top    of   the 

head  showing,  putting  up  their  trunks  now    and   then 

to  breathe ;    some  of  the  mahouts  went  in  riding  them, 

but  were  soon  shaken  off  by   the   tremendous   plunges 

of  the  delighted  beasts  and  swam  ashore  again.     When 

the  elephants  came  out  they  lay  on  the   bank   in   the 

sun  squirting  water  over  their  hides  with  their  trunks, 

which    they    seemed    to   enjoy   as    much   as    the   bath 

itself.     One   of    them    was   shampooed  by  his  mahout, 

quivering  and  grunting  with  joy  at  the  process. 

Tiffin  was  served  in  Indian  style  with  native  dishes, 
and  then  we  lay  at  ease  listening  to  stories  from  the 
"Arabian  Nights,"  which  Turnbull  had  brought  with 
him  and  taking  it  in  turns  to  read  ;  never  before  did 
Aladdin  and  Ali  Baba  seem  such  real  and  enchanting 
people.  It  was  a  wonderful  afternoon,  full  of  delight- 
ful memories. 

The  next  night  we  had  Indian  dinner  in  one  of 
Maharani's  rooms,  the  floor  of  which  is  covered  with 
a  pattern  of  mosaic  indicating  the  places  where  the 
guests  sit.  Her  Highness  had  given  the  ladies  beauti- 
ful Indian  saris  for  the  occasion,  and  the  Gaekwar 
presented  Turnbull  and  me  with  new  agniakaras,  as 
the  outer  coats  are  called,  of  bright  silk  covered  with 
gold  embroidery.  Lady  Maud  and  Miss  Clarke  had 

118 


DECEMBER 

never  dined  a  Vlndienne  before,  and  were  wild  with 
joy  at  the  novelty  of  it,  looking  charming  in  their 
new  guise.  The  food  was  most  delicious,  and  no 
spoons  or  forks  were  allowed.  It  was  eaten  from  gold 
trays  of  exquisite  workmanship,  and  the  decorations 
were  superb.  We  all  enjoyed  our  dinner  very  much, 
besides  giving  the  greatest  amusement  to  Maharani 
Sahib  and  Indira,  who  laughed  more  that  evening 
than  they  have  ever  done  before  in  their  lives. 

Afterwards  we  went  down  to  the  Durbar  hall, 
where  musicians  and  nautch-girls  were  waiting,  and 
watched  the  best  nautch-dance  that  I  have  yet  seen. 
It  was  called  the  Cobra  dance,  quite  unlike  the 
ordinary  nautch  and  very  graceful.  Two  pretty 
Tanjore  girls  wound  up  a  handkerchief  to  represent 
a  hooded  cobra  and  then  danced  round  it  with 
soothing,  mesmerizing  gestures  to  charm  it.  One  of 
them  pretended  to  be  bitten  and  fell  to  the  ground, 
but  the  other  restored  her  to  life,  and  finally  they 
both  danced  in  triumph  round  the  snake. 

The  dancing  consists  not  so  much  in  what  we 
understand  by  the  word,  as  in  the  movements  of  the 
body  and  gestures  of  the  hands ;  the  part  played  by 
the  feet  is  comparatively  unimportant.  To  European 
eyes  it  is  curiously  unattractive  and  monotonous,  but 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  appeals  very  strongly 
to  the  native  mind.  The  men  playing  the  instruments 
get  tremendously  excited,  and  the  faces  of  the 
spectators  show  absorbing  interest ;  at  first  they  remain 

119 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 

quite  motionless  and  silent,  but  as  they  come  more 
and  more  under  the  influence  of  the  rhythmic 
measure,  their  hands  and  then  their  feet  begin  to 
move  unconsciously,  as  though  they  were  themselves 
taking  part  in  the  performance.  Even  the  Gaekwar 
becomes  much  more  interested  and  excited  than  I 
have  ever  seen  him  at  any  spectacle  in  London.  The 
dancing  girls  themselves  have  a  proud  look  and  haughty 
bearing,  as  though  fully  conscious  of  the  extraordinary 
power  which  they  exercise  over  others,  and  the  fatter 
they  are  the  more  they  fancy  themselves. 

The  most  impressive  of  the  various  entertainments 
organized  for  the  amusement  of  our  visitors  were  the 
arena  sports,  which  are  only  held  on  great  occasions. 
The  scene  was  one  which  you  could  never  forget. 
Just  outside  the  city  gates  lies  the  vast  sunken  arena, 
surrounded  by  high  walls,  washed  a  bright  pink,  above 
which  congregated  the  gayest  coloured  crowd  imagin- 
able, most  of  them  holding  gaudy  umbrellas  over  their 
heads.  Some  had  climbed  the  nearest  trees  and 
looked  like  huge  masses  of  bright  flowers  amongst  the 
green.  Others  had  scrambled  on  to  the  elephants, 
which  stood  round  shuffling  restlessly  about  and 
flapping  their  great  ears.  The  air  was  filled  with  the 
hum  and  buzz  of  thousands  of  voices,  which  rose  and 
fell  to  the  accompaniment  of  wild  strains  of  native 
music.  The  blue  canopy  of  the  sky  stretched  over  the 
gay  scene,  and  the  blazing  sun  made  the  bright  colours 
dazzling.  Rising  above  the  wall  on  one  side  in  the 

120 


DECEMBER 

centre  was  the  grand  stand,  in  which  seats  were  placed 
for  the  Maharaja  and  his  guests,  and  not  far  away  the 
purdah  stand,  through  which  the  dim  forms  of  the 
ladies  could  be  vaguely  seen. 

Maharani  had  told  me  in  the  morning  that  she 
should  probably  not  go,  as  she  was  not  feeling  very 
well  and  was  afraid  that  the  elephant  fight  might  be 
too  exciting ;  however,  about  half  way  through 
the  programme  she  arrived,  and  the  Princess  with 
her. 

The  sports  opened  with  a  display  of  wrestling,  in 
which  four  or  five  pairs  took  part,  some  of  them 
being  enormous  men,  who  had  some  difficulty  in 
getting  a  grip  on  the  smooth  skins  and  supple  bodies 
of  their  opponents.  The  bouts  were  contested 
strictly  in  accordance  with  the  rules  of  the  game,  and 
were  keenly  followed  by  the  spectators,  each  point 
being  warmly  applauded,  and  the  victors  strutted 
about,  patting  their  great  limbs  amid  an  enthusiastic 
circle  of  admirers.  This  was  followed  by  a  buffalo 
fight.  The  two  unwieldy  animals  rushed  at  each 
other  like  furies,  and  then  with  locked  horns  strove 
for  some  minutes  to  force  one  another  back. 
Suddenly  one  of  them  took  to  his  heels  and,  before 
he  could  be  stopped,  lumbered  across  the  arena, 
followed  by  the  victor ;  both  dashed  through  the  open 
doors  into  the  street  and  disappeared,  upsetting  many 
an  apple-cart  in  the  market-place  in  their  wild  career. 
If  a  buffalo  once  bolts,  he  can  never  be  induced  to 

121 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

fight  again,  so  they  are  generally  separated  before  one 
of  them  loses  his  courage.  After  a  tremendous 
struggle,  the  next  pair  were  dragged  apart  by  ropes 
tied  to  their  hind  legs,  and  as  they  were  reluctant  to 
go  the  effect  was  most  ridiculous. 

After  several  buffaloes  rams  appeared.  They  tilted 
at  each  other  with  terrific  force,  clashing  their  heads 
together  with  resounding  thuds,  but,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  broken  horn,  no  harm  was  done. 
Generally  one  of  the  rams  was  the  aggressor,  the 
other  standing  steady  to  receive  the  blow,  and  having 
to  be  dragged  into  position  to  receive  another  charge, 
looking  far  from  happy. 

At  length  came  the  event  of  the  afternoon,  the 
elephant  fight.  Two  great  elephants,  so  heavily 
chained  by  the  legs  that  they  could  only  move  with 
short  steps,  were  led  in  at  opposite  ends  of  the  arena, 
surrounded  by  men  with  long  spears.  The  men 
backed  the  elephants  against  the  walls  and  crept  into 
passages  made  in  them,  from  which  safe  places  they 
undid  their  shackles.  At  first  they  moved  slowly, 
looking  from  side  to  side,  as  though  uncertain  of  their 
freedom,  but  as  soon  as  they  caught  sight  of  one 
another  they  instantly  charged  like  two  express 
engines  dashing  into  collision. 

It  was  an  imposing,  terrific  sight  to  see  these  two 
monsters  with  raised  trunks  and  locked  tusks,  swaying 
backwards  and  forwards  and  exerting  their  enormous 
muscular  strength  to  its  utmost  limit  against  each  other. 

122 


DECEMBER 

The  crowd  grew  excited,  and  filled  the  air  with  shouts 
which  drowned  the  trumpeting  of  the  elephants. 
Turnbull  had  brought  his  fox  terrier  Susan  with 
him  ;  up  to  this  point  she  had  been  very  good  and 
ladylike,  but  now  she  barked  loudly  and  struggled  so 
wildly  to  jump  down  into  the  arena  and  take  part  in 
the  fight  that  he  had  hard  work  to  hold  her  back. 

At  length  one  of  the  elephants  broke  a  tusk,  and 
Maharaja,  not  wishing  that  they  should  damage  them- 
selves further,  gave  the  order  to  separate  them.  Two 
men  crept  up  behind  with  huge  steel  springs  set  with 
sharp  spikes  which  they  clapped  on  to  their  legs. 
The  pain  must  have  been  severe,  as  they  both  stopped 
dead  in  a  moment,  holding  the  injured  leg  in  the 
air;  the  next  moment  they  were  making  for  each 
other  again,  but  by  this  time  other  men  had  run  up 
with  ropes  and  chains  and  dragged  them  apart,  still 
trumpeting  defiance  and  waving  angry  trunks.  By 
the  united  efforts  of  some  hundreds  of  men  they 
were  slowly  hauled  off  the  ground. 

The  prettiest  and  most  exciting  event  of  the  day 
was  kept  till  the  end.  One  of  my  friends  from  the 
stables  came  cantering  into  the  arena,  mounted  on 
my  favourite  Arab  horse,  Dilrubah,  who  curvetted 
and  pranced  along,  rejoicing  in  his  strength  and 
swiftness.  With  graceful,  easy  bounds,  they  circled 
round  the  arena,  and  then,  with  a  mighty  roar,  a  huge 
"  must  "  elephant,  suffering  from  the  periodical  fit  of 
madness  which  attacks  elephants  from  time  to  time, 

123 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

was  let  loose  upon  them  and  came  on  in  hot  pursuit ; 
Dilrubah  and  his  rider  seemed  to  be  quite  unaware 
of  his  approach,  and  although  I  had  perfect  confidence 
in  their  skill,  my  heart  stood  still  for  a  moment  as 
the  great  beast  drew  nearer  and  nearer  to  them. 
Just  as  their  destruction  seemed  inevitable,  they  shot 
swiftly  ahead  and  then  went  along  calmly  and  easily 
as  before.  Again  the  elephant  almost  overtook  them, 
when  they  bounded  lightly  to  one  side,  just  missing 
the  mighty  blow  aimed  at  them  by  his  trunk  as  he 
rushed  past  them  in  full  career.  When  he  next 
charged,  the  horseman  wheeled  sharply  round  and 
passing  behind  him  caught  him  a  good  crack  with 
the  whip,  a  feat  of  which  he  was  probably  quite  un- 
conscious, but  which  elicited  a  great  shout  of  applause 
from  the  spectators.  They  then  cantered  out  as 
easily  as  they  had  come  in,  without  showing  the 
smallest  sign  of  heat  or  fatigue.  The  performance 
was  far  more  exciting  than  any  Spanish  bull-fight, 
and  without  any  of  its  horrors. 

Other  horsemen  now  appeared  on  the  scene,  and 
the  arena  was  flooded  with  a  crowd  of  men  who  ran 
about  in  all  directions,  pursued  by  the  infuriated 
and  bewildered  elephant.  It  was  a  most  thrilling 
game  to  watch,  as  every  moment  he  seemed  to  be  on 
the  point  of  catching  his  man,  and  then  a  sharp 
prick  from  a  spear  would  divert  his  rage  to  his  new 
tormentor.  Suddenly  he  changed  his  tactics,  and 
giving  us  a  knowing  wink,  or  so  it  seemed,  he  made 

124 


DECEMBER 

his  way  to  a  round-house  of  stone,  built  in  the 
centre  of  the  arena,  with  passages  in  its  thick  walls 
leading  to  an  open  enclosure.  Some  twenty  men  had 
taken  refuge  inside,  on  whom  he  now  concentrated  all 
his  attention,  walking  carefully  all  round  it  and  exam- 
ining it  closely,  then  kneeling  down  and  trying  to 
reach  his  prey  through  the  passages,  then  rearing  up 
against  the  wall  and  waving  his  trunk  over  the  top, 
then  leaning  against  it  and  trying  to  break  it  down 
by  sheer  force,  his  wicked  old  face  wearing  all  the 
time  the  most  cunning  and  exultant  expression. 

It  was  all  no  good,  however,  and  he  was  over- 
powered and  dragged  away,  after  having  had  half  an 
hour  of  the  most  keen  enjoyment.  The  extraordinary 
thing  is  that  when  his  fit  of  madness  is  over  he  will 
be  as  gentle  and  docile  as  ever.  As  his  final 
trumpetings  died  away  the  horn  of  a  motor-car 
mingled  with  them,  and  the  Maharaja's  forty  horse- 
power Fiat  dashed  into  the  arena,  followed  by  a 
mounted  escort  of  bearded  warriors  with  flashing 
swords ;  as  he  drove  away  with  the  fair  English  girl 
sitting  beside  him,  through  the  crowds  of  natives 
lying  prostrate  on  the  ground  before  him,  one  could 
not  help  being  struck  by  the  startling  incongruity  of 
the  picture,  curiously  emphasizing  the  sharp  contrast 
between  the  old  world  and  the  new,  which  seems, 
alas !  destined  only  too  soon  to  drive  out  these 
remnants  of  the  old  regime.  Once  they  were  the 
daily  distractions  of  the  Eastern  monarch ;  now  he 

125 


A   YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

makes  use  of  them  to  afford  a  holiday  to  the  vulgar 
crowd.  And  yet  when  he  does  condescend  to  attend 
them  himself,  the  force  of  heredity  asserts  itself,  and 
his  gleaming  eyes  and  quickened  pulse  make  one  feel 
that  it  has  cost  him  something  after  all  to  put  away 
the  childish  pleasures  which  delighted  his  ancestors, 
and  to  seek  a  more  abiding  satisfaction  in  the  dull 
routine  of  official  work. 

This  work  has  lately  been  of  an  unusually  anxious 
and  arduous  kind.  One  of  his  subjects  had  been  tried 
for  murder  and  condemned  to  death,  and  had 
appealed  to  the  royal  clemency  for  a  remission  of  the 
capital  sentence.  For  many  days  the  Gaekwar  had 
devoted  most  earnest  attention  to  the  matter,  reading 
every  word  of  the  evidence  very  carefully,  conferring 
with  the  judges  and  personally  re-examining  several 
of  the  witnesses.  From  one  of  these  he  elicited  some 
important  new  evidence,  which  showed  that  there 
were  such  extenuating  circumstances  in  the  case  as  to 
justify  him  in  reducing  the  sentence  to  one  of  life- 
imprisonment.  Then  the  question  arose  whether  this 
would  be  a  kindness  to  the  man  himself ;  after 
weighing  the  general  question  in  all  its  aspects,  the 
Maharaja  decided  to  take  the  unusual  course  of 
interviewing  the  convict,  and  as  it  seemed  likely  that 
his  skill  in  carving  might  make  him  useful  and  even 
happy  in  gaol  he  reduced  the  sentence. 

This,  and  the  heavy  addition  to  his  social  duties, 
had  affected  his  health,  and  the  doctors  advised  ten 

126 


DECEMBER 

days  of  complete  rest  and  change  at  Matheran,  a  hill- 
station  in  the  ghats  beyond  Bombay. 

Our  visitors  left  us  in  the  morning,  with  many 
mutual  expressions  of  pleasure  and  regret,  Miss  Clarke 
assuring  the  Gaekwar  that  he  had  earned  her  eternal 
gratitude  by  providing  her  with  so  many  new  sensa- 
tions, His  Highness  delighted  to  have  made  so 
enthusiastic  and  sympathetic  a  convert  to  the 
humanitarian  and  scientific  schemes  which  are  so  dear 
to  his  heart,  and  which  yet  cause  him  to  be  regarded 
in  many  quarters  with  suspicion  and  distrust.  In  the 
evening  we  left  in  the  Gaekwar's  private  saloon  for 
Bombay,  in  which  we  had  our  chota  bazri  the  next 
morning,  while  it  was  being  attached  to  the  train  for 
Neral,  which  we  reached  at  9.30  a.m. 

We  were  met  at  the  station  by  Hingujirao,  who 
had  been  sent  on  ahead  with  twelve  servants  to  make 
"  bundobust,"  a  great  word  in  India  meaning  arrange- 
ments ;  the  man  who  can  make  good  bundobust  is 
held  in  high  esteem. 

We  were  quite  a  small  party,  Maharaja,  Nim- 
balker,  Doctor  J.  and  myself,  with,  of  course,  our 
servants,  without  whom  no  one  can  move  anywhere 
in  India.  Ponies,  rickshaws  and  palkis  were  waiting 
to  convey  us  over  the  ten  miles  of  hill  roads,  and  by 
the  Gaekwar's  advice  I  chose  a  palki,  which  is  a  litter 
in  the  shape  of  a  long  box  with  sides  rather  like  a 
coffin,  which  is  slung  on  bamboo  poles  with  curtains  ; 
there  are  six  bearers  to  each  palki,  two  before  and 

127 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

two  behind,  with  the  other  two  to  relieve  them  from 
time  to  time ;  they  were  wonderfully  strong,  active 
men,  and  took  us  along  at  about  four  miles  an  hour. 

At  first  the  path  was  very  steep,  and  in  the  first 
three  miles  we  must  have  ascended  quite  1,500  feet; 
after  that  the  road  became  more  gradual,  and  we 
walked  for  some  miles  in  the  shady  parts,  luxuriant 
trees  clothing  the  side  of  the  hill,  and  cloaking  the 
precipice,  and  disclosing  beautiful  views  from  time  to 
time.  There  is  a  mountain  railway  which  we  kept 
crossing,  but  it  was  out  of  order,  for  which  I  was 
not  sorry,  as  it  did  not  look  very  safe.  Half  way  up 
we  halted  for  a  short  rest  by  a  picturesque  well, 
where  the  bearers  washed  and  drank  the  water. 

We  got  to  the  bungalow  just  before  noon ;  it 
belongs  to  a  Parsi  baronet  called  Petit,  who  had  lent 
it  to  the  Maharaja,  and  commands  a  fine  view.  As  it 
has  a  small  tower,  it  is  called  Tour  Petit,  after  its 
owner,  and  he  has  also  played  upon  his  name  in 
Latin,  his  motto  being  Consequitur  Quodcunque  Petit. 
These  Parsis  aie  very  fond  of  calling  their  dwelling- 
places  and  lands  after  their  own  names,  which  you 
see  plastered  up  all  over  the  place,  as  the  rich  ones 
have  bungalows  in  most  of  the  hill  stations. 

Breakfast  was  ready  for  us,  and  then  we  slept  till 
tea-time,  after  which  Maharaja  took  Hingujirao  and 
myself  for  a  walk  round  the  place.  He  is  a  great 
believer  in  pedestrian  exercise  and  never  misses  walk- 
ing for  an  hour  both  morning  and  evening,  the  time 

128 


DECEMBER 

being  kept  to  the  minute  by  some  one  with  him. 
He  goes  steadily  ahead  and  covers  three  miles  in 
the  hour ;  sometimes  he  talks,  but  as  often  as  not  he 
meditates  on  whatever  is  uppermost  in  his  thoughts, 
with  his  eyes  bent  on  the  ground.  Maharani  Sahib 
very  rightly  thinks  that  this  is  bad  for  him  and  has 
begged  me  to  keep  his  attention  engaged  on  any 
subject,  however  trivial,  whether  he  likes  it  or  not, 
and  this  I  try  to  do,  though  it  is  not  always  easy,  as 
he  has  great  powers  of  sarcasm  and  can  make  the 
most  petrifying  remarks  without  apparent  effort  in 
dulcet  tones. 

To-day,  however,  he  was  eager  to  show  me  all  the 
beauties  of  the  place  and  was  animated  and  amusing, 
and  his  good  spirits  went  on  increasing  throughout 
our  visit,  so  that  we  have  all  enjoyed  it  immensely. 
One  of  the  most  striking  things  about  the  Maharaja 
is  the  extraordinary  influence  which  he  exercises  on 
those  around  him  :  he  is  the  sun  round  which  they  all 
revolve ;  when  he  is  in  good  health  and  spirits  every- 
one is  gay  and  happy,  when  he  is  anxious  and 
depressed  a  general  feeling  of  depression  prevails,  and 
when  he  is  ill  the  light  of  the  brightest  day  seems 
clouded,  and  we  all  go  about  with  long  faces  and 
hushed  voices.  Luckily,  he  generally  enjoys  good 
health,  but  a  serious  illness  some  years  ago  has  left 
him  subject  to  occasional  attacks  of  feverish  disorder. 

To-day  he  was  wearing  a  brown  velvet  knicker- 
bocker  suit  with  worsted  stockings  and  a  Homburg 

129  9 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

hat ;  Hingujirao  was  arrayed  in  white  flannel  trousers, 
black  frock  coat  with  a  little  blue  tie  and  puggari, 
and  was  carrying  a  great  thick  stick,  almost  as  big  as 
himself,  to  kill  any  snakes  we  might  meet.  Behind 
were  six  servants,  in  long  scarlet  coats  with  Maharaja's 
monogram  worked  in  gold  on  the  breast,  bearing  a 
chair  slung  on  two  poles  called  a  jhampan  in  case  he 
got  tired,  and  one  of  them  carried  his  puggari 
wrapped  in  a  large  green  silk  handkerchief,  so  that  we 
presented  rather  an  unusual  spectacle.  There  were, 
however,  very  few  people  about,  as  it  was  not  the 
season. 

Matheran  is  a  narrow  tableland  standing  about 
three  thousand  feet  above  sea  level  with  offshoots  in 
many  directions,  limited  on  all  sides  by  mighty  preci- 
pices and  ending  abruptly  in  bluffs  called  "  points." 
The  walks  through  thick  avenues  of  shady  trees  are 
beautiful  and  the  views  magnificent  ;  far  away  to  the 
West  lie  the  waters  and  islands  of  the  bay  beyond 
Bombay,  and  on  a  clear  day  the  city  itself  and  the 
shipping  in  the  harbour  can  be  seen. 

Almost  every  day  we  have  been  for  a  pic-nic  to 
one  of  these  "  points,"  spending  practically  the  whole 
day  in  the  open  air.  A  description  of  one  of  these 
must  be  sufficient :  Maharaja,  who  never  waits  for 
anyone,  set  off  rather  suddenly,  before  the  others  were 
ready,  taking  me  with  him,  a  guide  walking  in  front 
to  show  us  the  way,  which  we  should  have  had  some 
difficulty  in  finding  for  ourselves  amid  the  innumer- 

130 


DECEMBER 

able  paths  branching  off  in  all  directions.  For  an 
hour  or  more  we  walked  along  the  top  of  the  hill, 
and  then  turned  off  and  began  the  descent  down  a 
steep  path  along  the  side  of  the  precipice. 

When  we  got  to  the  foot,  we  walked  for  some  way 
under  the  trees,  and  at  last  came  to  a  shady  open 
space,  where  we  found  a  tent  set  up  with  a  bed  in  it 
for  His  Highness,  a  large  table  laid  for  lunch  and  a 
smaller  one  with  the  book-box  on  it,  and  another 
box  containing  games  of  all  kinds,  cards,  chess, 
draughts,  dominoes,  etc.,  without  which  we  never 
travel ;  for  although  the  Gaekwar  is  rather  apt  to 
despise  games  when  he  is  engaged  in  more  serious 
work,  wheft  he  is  taking  a  holiday  he  is  very  fond  of 
them,  and  there  are  few  which  he  does  not  play  well. 

To-day,  however,  he  felt  inclined  to  read,  so  I 
read  Keats'  "  St.  Agnes'  Eve "  aloud  to  him ;  it  is 
one  of  my  favourite  poems,  and  I  was  delighted  to 
see  how  much  he  enjoyed  it. 

It  was  now  half-past  eleven  and  we  were  hungry, 
but  the  doctor  and  Hingujirao  had  not  yet  appeared, 
so  we  had  lunch  without  them,  a  good  hot  one,  and 
talked  about  Keats  and  Shelley,  and  the  Gaekwar 
remarked  what  a  pity  it  was  that  they  had  never 
been  in  India,  as  they  could  have  painted  the  most 
lovely  word-pictures  of  its  wonderful  sights.  Just  as 
we  were  finishing,  our  friends  appeared  very  hot  and 
tired,  saying  that  they  had  been  delayed  by  two  huge 
cobras  which  barred  their  path.  At  first  I  believed 

131  9* 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

this,  but  when  the  Gaekwar  was  unable  to  contain 
his  explosions  of  laughter,  I  smelt  a  rat  and  saw  that 
it  was  all  a  put-up  job  to  frighten  me,  as  I  have 
rather  a  horror  of  snakes  and  always  carry  about  with 
me  a  little  lancet  and  bottle  of  antidote  for  their  poison 
in  case  I  should  be  bitten.  The  bite  of  the  cobra 
can  sometimes  be  cured  in  this  way,  but  no  antidote 
has  yet  been  discovered  for  some  of  the  others, 
notably  Russell's  Viper,  a  very  fierce  and  venomous 
creature  which  will  attack  men  of  its  own  accord, 
while  most  of  the  others  are  timid  and  only  act  in 
self-defence,  preferring  to  glide  quietly  out  of  your 
way  if  they  can. 

Nearly  all  the  mortality  from  snake-bite^  in  India  is 
among  the  natives  walking  about  with  bare  feet  in 
the  jungle,  and  they  are  also  very  careless ;  the  other 
day  a  man  lost  his  life  in  Baroda  through  picking  up 
a  snake.  It  was  lying  quite  straight  across  the  road, 
and  in  the  moonlight  looked  such  a  good  useful 
stick;  but  he  soon  found  out  his  mistake,  poor 
fellow ! 

When  they  had  lunched  we  played  bridge  till  three 
o'clock  and  then  had  tea,  after  which  we  started  for 
the  walk  home,  taking  a  much  longer  path ;  the  first 
part  of  the  way  was  very  lovely,  over  rough  and 
romantic  ground  covered  with  gnarled  trees  suggesting 
fairies  and  giants  and — snakes !  We  then  had  a  fairly 
stiff  bit  of  climbing  up  the  mountains ;  we  had  with 
us  a  number  of  bearers  carrying  a  jhampan,  but  it 

132 


DECEMBER 

was  never  used,  and  empty  as  it  was  they  had  hard 
work  to  get  it  up  in  several  places. 

The  doctor  found  the  ascent  very  trying;  when  it 
began  he  had  mounted  a  pony,  but  as  soon  as  it  grew 
steep  the  law  of  gravity  became  too  strong  for  him, 
and  our  own  gravity  was  also  quite  upset  as  we  saw 
him  roll  slowly  off  over  the  horse's  tail.  Luckily  he 
was  stopped  before  he  had  rolled  very  far. 

When  we  reached  the  top  we  found  ourselves  on 
Panorama  Point,  where  comfortable  seats  and  drinks 
had  been  placed  ready  for  us.  The  road  goes  quite 
round  the  brow  of  the  peak,  and  affords  a  beautiful 
panoramic  view  of  the  country  from  which  the  point 
gets  its  name.  Across  the  valley  lay  Porcupine  Point, 
so  called  because  porcupines  are  sometimes  found 
there. 

After  a  good  long  rest  we  went  home,  Maharaja  in 
a  rickshaw  and  Nimbalker  and  myself  on  horseback ; 
the  doctor  had  had  enough  horses  for  one  day  and 
preferred  to  walk,  Hingujirao,  who  is  a  capital  rider, 
good-naturedly  giving  him  the  benefit  of  his  company 
and  the  protection  of  his  enormous  stick. 

When  we  walked  in  the  garden  after  dinner,  a  man 
was  always  in  attendance  with  a  lantern  to  frighten 
away  snakes,  so  there  really  are  some  about.  A 
rubber  of  bridge  usually  brought  our  evenings  to  a 
peaceful  close.  The  doctor  is  just  learning  the  game 
and  Maharaja  rags  him  unmercifully,  playing  the 
wrong  cards  from  dummy  for  him  and  making  the 

133 


A  YEAR   WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 

poor  little  man  so  nervous  that  he  can  hardly  see. 
Now  and  then  of  course  he  has  the  doctor  for  a 
partner,  and  then  he  is  very  much  in  earnest,  as  he 
does  not  like  being  beaten,  and  consequently  the 
doctor  plays  worse  than  ever. 

One  night,  as  I  was  going  to  bed,  a  fearsome 
creature  came  scuttling  over  the  wooden  floor, 
making  me  jump  hastily  on  to  the  nearest  chair,  as 
my  feet  were  bare.  It  was  like  a  large  crab,  and 
moved  about  with  great  rapidity,  and,  for  all  I  knew, 
might  have  been  a  scorpion  or  a  baby  porcupine. 
Sanka  said  it  was  a  butterfly !  After  a  great  hunt 
under  the  bed  and  all  round  the  room,  he  caught  it 
and  put  it  outside.  I  expected  to  see  him  drop 
down  dead  :  however,  he  took  no  harm. 

That  is  the  worst  of  these  bungalows  with  all  the 
rooms  on  the  ground  floor,  all  kinds  of  creatures 
come  in  and  make  free  with  your  belongings.  The 
other  day,  while  I  was  having  tea,  two  squirrels  came 
in  and  carried  off  biscuits  and  sugar  from  the  table  : 
they  did  it  so  prettily  that  I  quite  enjoyed  watching 
them.  After  that,  whenever  there  was  anything  to 
eat  in  the  room  they  came  in,  and  not  only  carried 
things  away,  but  sat  on  the  table  and  ate  from  the 
plates.  At  last  I  got  rather  bored  with  them  and 
tried  to  drive  them  away,  but  it  was  no  use ;  they 
had  quite  made  up  their  minds  that  they  were  pets, 
and  pets  they  would  be  in  spite  of  all  my  efforts  to 
show  them,  by  throwing  boots  at  them,  that  I  did 

134 


DECEMBER 

not  share  their  views.  These  squirrels  abound  every- 
where and  are  as  common  as  sparrows  in  a  London 
street.  They  are  grey  in  colour,  with  long  feathery 
tails,  and  it  is  a  pretty  sight  to  see  them  playing 
about  among  the  horses  in  the  stables. 

Monkeys,  too,  are  very  plentiful  and  are  often  a 
terrible  nuisance.  The  natives  are  so  kind  to  all 
animals  that  they  get  very  cheeky  and  do  a  lot  of 
damage :  a  herd  of  monkeys  will  often  leap,  one  after 
another,  from  a  tree  on  to  the  roof  of  a  bungalow, 
and  send  the  tiles  flying  all  over  the  place,  besides 
stealing  everything  they  can  lay  their  hands  on.  But 
people  take  it  all  very  calmly :  sometimes  a  small  boy 
is  sent  into  the  garden  to  shoot  at  them  with  a  toy 
bow  and  arrows,  but,  of  course,  they  soon  get 
accustomed  to  him. 

The  towns  and  villages  are  full  of  pariah  dogs 
whom  no  one  ever  dreams  of  molesting.  In  Baroda 
you  often  see  a  dreary  cage  on  wheels  being  drawn 
along,  full  of  them,  fighting  and  yelling  like  so  many 
demons.  They  are  then  driven  out  to  some  village 
in  the  country  and  let  loose  there,  to  the  great 
concern  of  the  inhabitants,  and  in  a  few  days  they 
have  all  found  their  way  back  again.  This  is  as  far 
as  the  Maharaja  dare  go  at  present  in  the  matter : 
he  would  like  to  pop  them  all  into  a  lethal  chamber, 
but  public  opinion  is  not  yet  sufficiently  advanced 
for  that. 

It  is  quite  a  common  thing  to  see  the  traffic  of  a 

135 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

busy  street  thrown  into  confusion  because  a  cow  has 
thought  fit  to  lie  down  in  the  middle  of  the  road  or 
on  the  pavement,  knowing  perfectly  well  that  no  one 
will  disturb  her,  as  it  would  be  the  height  of  impiety 
to  do  so. 

To-morrow  we  go  back  to  dear  Baroda,  as  the 
Gaekwar  wants  to  set  out  as  soon  as  possible  on  his 
annual  inspection  of  the  districts.  So,  for  a  few  days 
at  any  rate,  I  shall  be  able  to  enjoy  the  luxurious 
privacy  of  my  rooms,  too  far  from  the  ground  to  be 
disturbed  by  animals,  though  monkeys  will  sometimes 
invade  them.  More  than  once  in  the  morning  I 
have  heard  a  great  chattering,  and  going  out  on  to 
the  balcony,  have  seen  the  terrace  over  the  Durbar 
hall  full  of  them,  merrily  engaged  in  leap-frog  and 
other  simian  games.  Then,  when  I  have  watched 
them  to  my  heart's  content,  I  clap  my  hands  and  in 
a  few  seconds  the  whole  crowd  of  them  are  down  on 
the  ground,  having  swung  themselves  from  story  to 
story  with  incredible  rapidity,  leaping  from  one 
balustrade  to  another  with  sureness  of  foot  and  eye 
that  makes  the  very  thought  of  a  fall  impossible,  the 
little  ones  clinging  to  their  mothers'  waists  through 
the  dizzy  descent,  and  are  galloping  away  to  the 
trees. 

Twice  too,  we  had  been  invaded  by  bees,  "  honey- 
flies,"  as  Sanka  calls  them,  seeking  a  place  in  which 
to  swarm  and  playing  havoc  with  my  afternoon 
meditations :  the  first  time  they  swarmed  in  my 

136 


DECEMBER 

verandah  high  up  in  the  corner,  and  we  had  an  exciting 
time  while  they  were  being  taken  by  three  natives, 
who  put  up  a  rickety  scaffolding  of  bamboo  poles 
which  nearly  brought  the  whole  party  to  the  ground 
just  when  they  had  got  the  imprisoned  myriads  in  a 
large  muslin  bag :  on  the  second  occasion  they  chose 
a  still  more  inaccessible  place  high  up  in  one  of  the 
domes  of  the  roof,  where  they  hung  in  an  enormous 
cluster  for  some  days.  It  seemed  almost  impossible 
to  get  at  them,  but  the  ingenuity  of  the  native  mind 
was  equal  to  the  task,  though  while  it  was  being 
done  we  were  away  on  a  shooting-party  to  my  great 
disappointment. 

I  must  not  forget  to  say  how  sorry  I  was  when  my 
visit  to  the  Evans-Gordons  came  to  an  end.  They 
were  so  kind,  and  though  the  festivities  at  the  palace 
took  up  a  great  deal  of  our  time,  still  I  managed  to 
see  enough  of  them  to  make  me  want  to  see  more. 

Nearly  every  morning  Jean  and  Joan  rode  with  me, 
and  we  had  some  delightful  musical  evenings,  as  the 
whole  family  are  so  fond  of  music ;  Mrs.  Evans-Gordon 
plays,  the  General  sings  and  performs  on  the  guitar, 
and  Jean  has  a  most  charming  voice  of  good  compass 
and  full  of  rich  and  melodious  notes,  which  she  ought 
to  turn  to  good  advantage  when  she  is  a  little  older. 
Their  house  is  a  favourite  resort  of  all  the  English 
people  from  the  Camp,  and  their  tennis  afternoon  is 
always  one  of  the  chief  events  of  the  week.  They 
have  a  number  of  pets,  including  a  parrot  who  talks 

137 


A   YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

fluently  in  Mahratti,  and  a  dear  little  fawn  who  lives 
in  the  compound  and  comes  to  the  house  to  be  fed. 

The  General  is  a  great  sportsman  and  has  shot 
over  two  hundred  tigers.  The  twins  are  so  much 
alike  that  even  now  I  do  not  know  them  apart  and 
make  the  most  ridiculous  mistakes.  They  have 
travelled  in  Europe,  but  have  never  been  in  England, 
and  are  very  keen  on  seeing  a  Drury  Lane 
pantomime. 

Such  an  ideal  English  home  is  a  refreshing  oasis  in 
this  strange  land :  it  makes  you  long  for  home  and 
all  your  own  dear  ones.  Amid  all  these  pleasures  and 
palaces  my  thoughts  are  with  you  over  six  thousand 
miles  of  ocean  and  wish  you  a  happy  New  Year. 


138 


JANUARY 

A  T  last  I  am  in  India ;  not  in  a  town  with  a  bank 
**•  and  a  Gymkhana  and  English  people  to  call 
on,  but  right  in  the  heart  of  the  country  where 
an  Englishman  is  seldom  seen.  We  are  now  in  camp, 
about  fifty  miles  from  Baroda  and  not  far  from  the 
Gulf  of  Cambay.  The  camp  is  pitched  just  outside 
a  little  town  on  a  large  level  space  and  as  far  as 
possible  under  shady  trees ;  the  officer  in  charge  of 
the  district  has  taken  a  good  deal  of  trouble  about 
it  and  it  looks  very  smart.  On  either  side  of  a 
broad  gravel  drive  twenty  tents  are  pitched  leading 
up  to  three  larger  ones  at  the  end.  They  are  roomy 
and  comfortable,  furnished  with  carpets,  beds,  tables 
and  chairs,  divided  in  the  middle  so  as  to  form  a 
bedroom  and  sitting-room,  and  with  a  passage  outside 
leading  to  a  primitive  bath-room.  Outside,  little 
gardens  have  been  arranged  with  such  flowers  as 
could  be  induced  to  grow  in  them  at  short  notice,  and 
a  fountain  is  playing  in  a  large  bed  in  the  centre. 

The  first  of  the     larger  tents   consists    of    only   one 
apartment ;  on  the  large  white  carpet  is  an  arm-chair 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

in  which  is  seated  the  Maharaja,  round  the  sides  a 
deputation  of  local  magnates  is  sitting  on  the  ground, 
and  outside  are  three  other  batches  whom  he  will 
receive  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon.  Behind  this 
is  the  Gaekwar's  own  tent,  containing  six  or  seven 
rooms,  with  a  shady  awning  running  all  round  it,  and 
beyond  this  again  another  tent  which  we  use  for  our 
meals. 

Just  inside  the  gates  of  the  camp  a  military  band 
is  playing  and  affording  great  delight  to  the  crowd  of 
natives  listening  outside ;  more  than  it  affords  to  the 
Padre,  sitting  in  the  tent  nearest  to  the  Gaekwar's 
at  a  writing-table  plentifully  stocked  with  materials — 
as  he  is  supposed  to  be  a  great  hand  at  that  game, 
though  in  his  heart  he  loathes  it — laboriously 
compiling  a  lecture  on  Religion  which  he  is  to 
deliver  at  Baroda  on  our  return.  He  is  groaning  over 
his  task  when  Sanka  raises  the  "  chick "  and  gives 
him  a  handful  of  letters,  from  which  he  selects  one 
and  then  retires  to  an  arm-chair  to  devour  it  greedily. 

After  our  Christmas  gaieties,  this  quiet  camp  life  is 
delightful.  This  is  the  third  place  we  have  visited ; 
first  we  went  to  Dabhoi,  a  most  interesting  thirteenth 
century  town,  with  a  fine  tank  in  the  middle  and  four 
magnificent  gates  of  beautiful  ancient  Hindu  architec- 
ture covered  with  elaborate  carvings  of  nymphs, 
alligators  and  elephants.  In  one  place  a  man  and  a 
woman  are  carved  four  feet  high,  exactly  like  Adam 
and  Eve  with  the  tree  between  them,  only  instead  of 

140 


JANUARY 

the  serpent  there  is  a  tall  devil  near  with  a  ghastly 
leer  on  his  face. 

Near  one  of  the  gates  is  a  most  curious  temple 
built  within  the  thickness  of  the  wall,  in  which  the 
holy  rites  are  still  performed.  The  Brahmin  in  charge 
was  most  obsequious  and  invited  me  to  enter  the 
sacred  shrine,  but  nothing  would  induce  me  to  do  so ; 
these  Hindu  deities  are  not  to  be  trifled  with  and  the 
least  one  can  do  is  to  treat  them  with  respect. 
Maharaja,  who  is  a  bit  of  a  sceptic,  laughed  at  my 
scruples,  but  I  am  sure  that  Rani  Sahib  and  Shivajirao 
would  have  approved  them. 

When  he  had  completed  his  marvellous  work,  the 
hapless  architect  is  said  to  have  been  buried  alive  over 
one  of  his  own  gateways,  to  make  sure  of  his  not 
producing  a  finer  building  elsewhere.  That  was  a 
pleasant  way  they  had  in  the  old  days ;  if  you  created 
anything  especially  beautiful  you  were  lucky  if  you 
only  had  your  eyes  put  out  or  your  hands  cut 
off. 

Although  it  is  on  one  of  the  Gaekwar's  railways, 
very  few  people  from  the  outside  world  ever  come 
here,  and  the  sand  of  the  desert  is  gradually  covering 
the  walls  already  fractured  by  the  thick  roots  of  the 
trees  that  have  grown  in  them.  Yet  fifteen  thousand 
people  still  flock  through  its  narrow  streets,  and  here 
and  there  naughty  eyes  look  down  from  ancient  case- 
ments, as  they  did  from  the  walls  of  Jericho. 

Then   we   went  on   to  Bahadarpur,  where  the  camp 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

had  been  pitched  round  a  bungalow,  where  the 
Gaekwar  had  his  quarters.  As  there  are  two  complete 
sets  of  tents  for  these  camps  there  is  no  delay;  while 
the  last  is  being  dismantled  and  taken  elsewhere  we 
find  the  next  all  ready.  The  chief  object  of  these 
tours  is  to  make  all  possible  provision  against  the 
terrible  famines  which  afflict  the  country,  sweeping 
away  millions  of  people  and  costing  enormous  sums  in 
relief  works.  The  only  way  in  which  to  fight  them 
is  by  irrigation,  and  a  large  amount  of  money  is 
spent  annually  on  artificial  lakes  with  dams  and 
canals,  to  supplement  the  plucky  and  ingenious  efforts 
of  the  small  cultivators,  whose  primitive  methods  are 
good  enough  under  normal  conditions,  but  are  quite 
inadequate  in  years  of  scanty  rainfall,  and  fail  alto- 
gether in  those  of  complete  drought. 

The  important  part  played  by  water  is  shown  by 
the  innumerable  wells  which  cover  the  whole  country, 
and  which  are  the  chief  care  of  these  little  communi- 
ties. You  understand  out  here  why  they  made  such 
a  fuss  over  the  people  who  dug  wells  in  the  Bible. 
These  wells  are,  as  a  rule,  approached  by  bullock  runs 
about  fifteen  yards  long  and  ten  feet  deep,  along 
which  a  pair  of  bullocks  toil  up  and  down,  drawing  up 
the  water  in  a  huge  leathern  bucket  by  means  of  a 
pulley-wheel  erected  over  the  mouth  of  the  well. 
The  creaking  of  the  pulley  makes  a  kind  of  weird 
mournful  tune,  which  is  one  of  the  most  characteristic 
sounds  of  India. 

142 


JANUARY 

We  went  to  see  one  of  these  great  artificial  lakes 
with  dams  at  a  village  seven  miles  up  the  railway,  being 
pushed  along  the  line  in  trolleys  by  natives,  a  novel 
and  amusing  way  of  getting  about.  It  was  a  fine 
piece  of  work,  and  the  amount  of  stone  that  has  been 
transported  into  this  desolate  region  for  the  dam  and 
the  handsome  bridge  by  which  it  is  approached  is 
astonishing. 

On  the  way  back  we  stopped  to  see  the  quarries 
from  which  they  dig  the  beautiful  green  marble  which 
is  used  so  effectively  in  the  Gaekwar's  palaces ;  it  is 
said  to  be  unique,  and  there  seems  to  be  an  inex- 
haustible supply  of  it. 

Of  course,  on  these  expeditions,  pleasure  is  mingled 
in  no  small  measure  with  the  toils  of  business,  accord- 
ing to  Oriental  custom.  The  small  game  shooting  in 
the  districts  is  exceptionally  good,  and  for  months 
before  the  Gaekwar  appears  on  the  scene,  the  officer 
in  charge  has  given  special  attention  to  it,  and  the 
native  population  look  forward  to  the  holiday  which 
it  affords  them ;  while  as  none  of  them  eats  anything 
but  rice,  there  is  very  little  poaching.  We  had  a  long 
expedition  one  day  to  a  lovely  river  where  some 
"  muggars,"  or  alligators,  had  been  seen,  but  though 
we  found  them  and  had  several  shots  at  them  none  of 
them  took  effect,  to  our  great  disappointment. 

As  Petlad,  where  we  are  now,  lies  on  the  other 
side  of  Baroda  from  Dabhoi,  we  spent  a  day  or  two 
at  Raj  Mahal  before  we  came  on,  travelling  in  another 

143 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

saloon  of  a  more  old-fashioned  make  which  the 
Gaekwar  uses  on  his  light  railways. 

When  we  reached  the  station,  we  had  an  eight-mile 
ride  to  the  camp,  where  we  arrived  soon  after  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  There  was  a  bitterly  cold 
wind,  and  for  the  first  time  in  India  I  enjoyed  the 
sensation  of  being  thoroughly  cold  and  was  glad  to 
run  to  the  kitchen  and  warm  myself  by  the  big  fire 
burning  in  the  mud  grates.  It  was  nice  to  find  that 
the  camp  was  under  Vaniker's  charge,  and  he  gave  us 
a  welcome  as  warm  as  his  fire. 

At  this  time  of  the  year,  there  are  about  twelve 
hours'  daylight,  and  we  make  the  most  of  them,  as  it 
is  not  hot  enough  to  make  a  siesta  in  the  afternoon  a 
necessity.  Soon  after  sunrise  we  are  in  the  saddle,  a 
party  of  fifteen  or  so,  most  of  us  in  ordinary  riding 
kit,  except  an  equerry  who  rides  ahead,  carrying  a  gold 
stick  about  four  feet  long  tied  with  gay  ribbons ;  his 
horse's  furniture  is  also  in  keeping  with  native  customs, 
a  high-peaked  saddle  heavily  padded,  with  a  red  saddle 
cloth  and  reins  and  stirrup  ropes  of  the  same  colour. 

The  Maharaja's  groom  has  a  large  tin  case  slung  to 
his  saddle  on  one  side,  containing  plans  and  ordnance 
maps,  and  on  the  other  a  leather  case  with  a  tope  in 
it  and  a  puggari  for  the  Gaekwar  to  wear  when  we 
reach  the  towns  which  he  is  visiting. 

The  country  is  varied  in  character  and  well-wooded, 
and  there  are  many  Aval  trees,  covered  with  a  bright 
yellow  blossom,  from  which  they  make  the  toothsticks 

144 


JANUARY 

(Miswak)  which  keep  their  teeth  so  perfect.  You  very 
rarely  see  a  native  with  bad  teeth,  and  Dr.  Jadhav 
tells  me  that  it  is  partly  because  they  use  the  stick 
instead  of  the  unclean  brush,  and  partly  because  they 
use  very  little  vinegar  with  their  food. 

These  towns,  when  we  reach  them,  present  an 
extraordinary  spectacle.  All  the  inhabitants  of  the 
neighbouring  villages  have  flocked  in  to  see  the 
Gaekwar,  who  has  not  been  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try for  some  time,  and  the  streets  are  so  closely 
packed  with  people  that  it  is  sometimes  hard  work  to 
force  a  way  through  them.  Shops,  doorways,  windows 
are  full  of  eager  faces,  and  the  roofs  of  the  houses  are 
crowded  with  women,  who  hope  to  see  without  being 
seen.  They  are  all  wearing  their  best,  and  the  sun 
blazes  down  upon  a  feast  of  changing  colour. 

The  horses  are  wonderfully  good,  as  people  are 
pressing  upon  them  on  all  sides,  and  the  clamour  is 
deafening.  Slowcoach  is  out  here  with  me  and  is 
perfect  in  a  crowd,  never  showing  the  slightest  ill- 
temper  ;  my  other  horse,  a  beautiful  little  black  Arab 
with  a  white  star  on  his  forehead,  is  not  so  easy  to 
manage,  though  he  seldom  gives  much  trouble.  His 
name  is  Mattine,  and  he  is  quite  a  darling  and 
awfully  keen  to  go,  so  that  I  am  glad  when  we  have 
a  good  long  gallop  early  in  the  day ;  he  has  a  fine 
mane  and  tail  and  such  pretty  ways,  and  is  in  many 
respects  better  fun  to  ride  than  Slowcoach.  But  I 
am  still  faithful  to  my  first  love ;  he  grows  more  and 

145  10 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

more  human  every  day,  and  I  feel  that  I  could  trust 
him  in  any  emergency.  He  likes  to  hear  English 
spoken,  and  when  I  am  out  for  a  ride  by  myself  I 
often  talk  to  him  and  sometimes,  as  a  great  treat,  sing 
to  him,  which  he  enjoys  still  more,  especially  when  I 
bring  his  own  name  into  the  song.  At  first  the 
Gaekwar  did  not  like  me  to  ride  by  myself,  as  there 
is  so  much  unrest  in  India ;  but  Nimbalker  assured 
him  that  there  was  not  the  smallest  danger,  and 
though  I  have  been  the  cause  of  a  good  deal  of 
surprise  and  sometimes  almost  of  terror,  I  have  not 
met  with  any  unpleasantness. 

The  business  to  be  done  in  each  town  or  village 
varies  very  much :  now  there  is  a  new  tank  to  be 
inspected,  now  a  new  temple  to  be  visited ;  but 
wherever  there  is  a  low  caste  school  the  Gaekwar 
makes  a  point  of  visiting  it  just  to  show  them,  as  he 
puts  it,  that  this  caste  business  is  all  rubbish.  That 
may  be  so,  but  it  has  grown  through  all  these 
centuries  into  a  hardy  plant  which  will  take  a  good 
deal  of  uprooting.  He  thinks  me  an  awful  pessimist, 
and  is  horrified  because  I  am  not  enamoured  with 
universal  education,  and  tell  him  blood-curdling  tales 
of  the  mischief  it  is  doing  in  rural  England  ;  and  yet 
he  enjoys  an  argument  with  some  one  who  has  the 
courage  of  his  opinions. 

Many  of  the  children  in  these  schools  are  sweet 
little  things,  much  more  attractive  than  their  higher 
caste  brethren ;  in  one  place  we  went  to  they  were 

146 


JANUARY 

doing  physical  drill  with  evident  enjoyment.  We 
were  much  amused  by  one  of  the  boys  who  was 
wearing  a  pair  of  trousers  made  out  of  some  coarse 
material  with  "  24  yards  "  printed  in  large  letters  on 
the  seat  and  arresting  the  eye  each  time  that  he 
touched  the  ground ;  probably  he  was  rather  proud 
of  possessing  so  distinguished  a  garment. 

When  work  is  over  there  is  shikar  before  and  after 
tiffin  and  then  we  return  to  the  camp,  where  the 
Gaekwar  receives  deputations  all  the  afternoon ; 
usually  they  bring  petitions  with  them  and  support 
their  claims  with  long  impassioned  speeches.  When 
the  public  bodies  have  had  their  say,  individual 
petitions  are  presented,  asking,  as  a  rule,  for  a  grant 
of  money;  one  man  has  lost  a  bullock,  another  has 
been  mauled  by  a  leopard,  a  third  has  had  his  house 
burnt  to  the  ground. 

I  ask  Maharaja  why  they  do  not  insure  their  houses, 
and  am  told  that  we  have  not  yet  reached  the 
millennium.  The  order  is  that  all  petitions  shall  be 
brought  to  the  camp,  but  the  peasant  thinks  he  has 
a  better  chance  at  a  private  hearing  and  uses  dodges 
of  all  kinds  to  get  one. 

As  we  go  for  our  evening  drive  a  whole  family 
will  suddenly  emerge  from  behind  the  cactus  hedge 
and  throw  themselves  flat  right  across  the  road,  and 
you  have  either  to  drive  over  them  or  hear  what 
they  have  to  say.  They  always  pretend  that  the 
petition  has  been  written  by  one  of  the  children, 

147  10* 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

though  it  is  obviously  the  work  of  the  local  scribe. 
Then,  while  the  Gaekwar  is  having  his  hour's  walk,  an 
old  woman  throws  herself  at  his  feet  and  grovels  in 
the  dust.  She  tells  the  old  story  of  the  next-door 
neighbour  whose  cows  have  broken  into  her  garden 
and  eaten  all  her  vegetables.  "  Well,"  says  Maharaja, 
"  what  do  you  want  me  to  do  ?  Shall  I  send  a 
cannon  and  blow  his  house  to  pieces  ?  "  She  is 
much  attracted  by  this  idea,  but  thinks  it  will  be 
enough  if  he  will  send  soldiers  to  shoot  the  cows. 
After  some  more  friendly  chaff,  an  order  is  given  that 
the  cows  be  bound  over  to  keep  the  peace,  and  she 
continues  to  invoke  shrill  blessings  on  the  royal  head 
so  long  as  it  is  in  sight. 

The  most  interesting  time  of  the  day  comes  after 
dinner,  when  the  Gaekwar  strolls  with  me  about  the 
camp  while  he  smokes  a  cigarette.  The  combined 
influences  of  the  tobacco  and  a  good  digestion 
produce  a  calm  contemplative  mood,  in  which  he 
opens  the  secret  chambers  of  his  mind  and  expands 
his  thoughts,  and  I  am  privileged  to  hear  the  ripe 
and  admirable  opinions  on  religion,  morals  and  politics 
which  he  does  not  give  to  the  world  at  large,  and 
which  are  all  the  more  impressive  because  of  the 
sincere  conviction  and  simplicity  with  which  they  are 
expressed. 

The  rest  of  the  short  evening  is  given  up  to  games 
and  we  read  some  light  amusing  book  for  half  an 
hour  before  turning  in.  Some  weeks  ago  a  friend 

148 


JANUARY 

had  recommended  "  Anna  Karenina,"  by  Tolstoy,  to 
him.  He  began  it  by  himself  and  asked  me  to  help 
him  to  finish  it,  as  he  never  gives  up  anything  which 
he  has  once  begun.  The  book  may  be  all  right  in 
its  native  Russian,  but  in  the  translation  I  found  it 
dreadfully  dull ;  luckily,  one  evening,  when  we  were 
still  a  hundred  pages  from  the  end,  Maharaja  was 
sleepy  and  kept  nodding  and  at  last  fell  fast  asleep, 
and  by  judicious  skipping  I  ^soon  reached  the  end ; 
when  he  awoke,  he  was  so  thankful  to  hear  that  it 
was  all  over  that  he  did  not  ask  any  awkward 
questions.  So  to  make  a  complete  change  I  tele- 
graphed to  the  library  for  "  Alice  in  Wonderland," 
which  was  sent  out  by  special  messenger ;  it  had  an 
enormous  success,  and  drove  all  games  out  of  the 
field,  the  Gaekwar  asking  :  "  Shall  we  go  to  our 
Alice  ?  "  almost  immediately  after  dinner.  I  made  it 
last  as  long  as  I  could,  and  then  suggested  something 
in  a  different  style,  but  Maharaja  did  not  agree : 
"  Oh,  I  think  we  may  as  well  hear  what  Alice  is 
going  to  do  next."  So  "  Through  the  Looking-glass " 
we  went,  and  found  it  a  more  delightful  country 
than  ever  before.  My  favourite  scene,  where  Bill  the 
Lizard  comes  down  the  chimney  and  goes  out  again, 
never  went  better,  and  it  would  have  been  worth 
going  many  a  mile  to  hear  the  Gaekwar's  rendering 
of :  "  You  are  old,  father  William."  An  order  was 
given  that  both  books  should  be  translated  into 
Mahratti;  I  said  that  I  did  not  envy  the  man  who 

149 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

undertook  the  task,  but  Maharaja  said  that  they 
might  as  well  try.  If  it  is  ever  accomplished  it  is 
sure  to  be  a  remarkable  curiosity  of  literature. 

The  other  night  we  had  a  little  adventure,  almost 
exciting,  coming  down  the  placid  stream  of  camp  life. 
During  our  after-dinner  stroll,  we  heard  a  noise  and 
saw  some  natives  running  about  in  the  light  of  a  fire 
a  hundred  yards  away.  Maharaja  looked  at  them 
attentively  and  said  he  thought  they  were  driving 
away  a  dog  ;  then  we  returned  to  Alice  her 
adventures. 

An  hour  later,  when  I  had  closed  the  book  and 
Maharaja  was  pleading  for  just  one  more  chapter, 
there  was  suddenly  a  great  commotion  outside  the 
tent  door,  and  Maharaja  said  he  thought  they  had 
found  a  snake.  We  ran  to  the  door,  and  there,  only  a 
few  yards  away,  was  a  sentry  with  a  mad  jackal  pinned 
to  the  earth  by  his  bayonet.  We  called  for  lights 
and  it  breathed  its  last  just  as  we  came  up.  It  then 
transpired  that  it  had  already  bitten  two  men  in  the 
camp,  and  Vaniker  had  placed  extra  sentries  at  all  the 
tent  doors.  It  had  been  making  for  us  at  full  speed 
when  the  man  caught  sight  of  it  and  killed  it. 
Maharaja  was  very  pleased,  as  he  evidently  thought 
that  we  had  had  rather  a  narrow  escape.  If  I  had 
been  going  across  to  my  tent  a  few  minutes  earlier  I 
should  very  probably  have  been  bitten. 

Next  morning  the  regiment  was  paraded,  and  the 
soldier,  a  fine  looking  fellow  with  a  quiet,  modest 

150 


JANUARY 

bearing,  was  called  out  to  be  congratulated  on  his 
pluck  and  activity  by  the  Maharaja,  who  promoted 
him  from  the  ranks  and  granted  him  extra  pay.  The 
natives  who  had  been  bitten  were  sent  to  the  Pasteur 
Institute  up  in  the  hills.  They  did  not  want  to  go, 
but  Maharaja  was  peremptory  about  it,  and  we  hear 
that  they  are  going  on  very  well. 

The  most  interesting  place  we  went  to  was  a  small 
town  called  Borsad,  where  they  had  been  putting 
pumping  machinery  into  a  large  Baoli  well.  These 
"  baolis "  are  peculiar  to  Guzerat :  there  is  a  very 
fine  specimen  of  them  at  Raj  Mahal,  close  to  the 
stables,  called  the  Naulakhi  Well,  from  its  having  cost 
nine  lakhs  of  rupees,  or  £60,000. 

Murray  gives  as  much  space  to  this  well  in  his 
Handbook  as  he  does  to  all  the  rest  of  Baroda  put 
together,  and  it  is  a  picturesque  and  stately  building. 
Above  the  level  of  the  ground  are  five  open  pavilions 
of  octagonal  form  at  regular  distances  from  each 
other,  their  roofs  being  supported  by  columns.  The 
entrance  to  the  well  is  by  one  of  the  end  pavilions, 
from  which  a  flight  of  broad  steps  descends  to  a 
landing  under  the  second  dome,  which  is  now  seen  to 
be  supported  by  two  rows  of  columns,  one  over  the 
other.  The  descent  continues  stage  by  stage,  the 
number  of  columns  increasing  at  each  pavilion  until 
the  level  of  the  water  is  reached.  You  are  now  far 
beneath  the  ground,  below  are  the  cool  dark  waters 
of  the  deep  well,  above  your  head  the  mysterious 


A  YEAR   WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 

lights  and  shadows  of  the  beautifully  adorned  columns 
and  galleries  which  support  the  last  dome,  which  is 
about  eighty  yards  away  from  the  first  one. 

The  well  at  Borsad  was  quite  as  large,  and  the 
decoration  almost  as  fine.  It  was  strange  to  see  the 
modern  machinery  gleaming  in  its  depths  and  to  hear 
the  purring  of  the  engines  when  the  Gaekwar  had  set 
them  in  motion.  The  streets  were  completely  blocked 
by  the  biggest  crowd  we  have  yet  seen,  and  though 
we  had  a  mounted  escort  it  was  only  with  the 
greatest  difficulty  that  we  could  get  along ;  in  one 
place  Slowcoach  and  I  were  cut  off  and  had  to  be 
rescued.  The  town  was  gaily  decorated  with  flags, 
and  they  had  put  up  a  large  marquee,  where  we  had 
refreshments  and  the  usual  floral  business.  These 
western  touches  were  no  doubt  due  to  a  Scottish 
missionary,  Mr.  Henderson,  who  seems  to  exercise  a 
good  influence  in  the  place  and  with  whom  the 
Gaekwar  had  a  long  conversation. 

There  was  a  very  pretty  school  in  an  old  caravan- 
serai, built  round  a  courtyard  with  a  temple  in  the 
middle,  where  Maharaja  held  a  little  examination, 
sitting  at  the  teacher's  table  with  his  spectacles  on, 
hearing  the  children  read  from  English  books  and 
putting  questions  to  them  on  Indian  history. 

We  had  such  a  jolly  ride  back  to  Baroda.  The 
intention  had  been  to  return  by  train,  but  Maharaja, 
who  delights  in  giving  pleasure  to  others  and  always 

152 


JANUARY 

encourages  any  sporting  proposal,  fell  in  at  once  with 
my  suggestion  that  we  should  go  on  horseback.  It 
was  all  arranged  with  that  wonderful  quickness  which 
surprises  you  so  much  out  here.  A  change  of  horses 
was  sent  on  ahead  and  a  wire  sent  to  Baroda  for 
another  relay  to  be  sent  out  from  there.  We  were 
to  start  as  soon  as  it  was  light,  and  with  the  first 
glimmer  of  dawn  the  Gaekwar  appeared,  booted  and 
spurred,  mounted  a  big  powerful  horse  and  set  off  at 
once  at  a  quick  canter  which  he  soon  changed  for  a 
full  gallop. 

It  is  not,  of  course,  etiquette  for  any  one  else  to 
mount  until  he  is  in  the  saddle,  but  as  I  am  such  an 
awful  duffer,  he  kindly  makes  an  exception  in  my 
favour,  and  as  I  was  riding  Mattine  I  managed  to 
keep  up  with  him  fairly  well.  With  us  were  Nimbalker 
and  Vaniker,  the  latter  on  a  vicious-looking  brute, 
which  he  had  been  feeding  up  for  any  emergency  of 
this  kind  and  which  he  had  some  difficulty  in 
managing. 

The  road  was  lovely,  ideal  for  riding,  with  a  good 
deal  of  turf  and  through  very  pretty  country,  and 
orders  had  been  sent  overnight  to  the  villagers  to 
water  it,  so  far  as  they  could,  in  the  more  sandy 
places.  When  I  reached  the  first  stage  the  Maharaja 
was  just  disappearing  round  the  bend  of  the  road, 
and  I  saw  him  no  more.  It  was  not  long,  however, 
before  I  came  across  poor  Vaniker  lying  in  the  road 
with  a  big  cut  over  his  eye  and  no  trace  of  his 

153 


vicious  horse  ;  I  stayed  with  him  as  long  as  I  could, 
and  when  he  had  recovered  a  little,  left  my  groom 
with  him  and  went  on  alone  with  Slowcoach,  who 
seemed  to  have  no  doubt  about  finding  his  way. 

We  took  things  very  easily  and  I  was  beginning  to 
wonder  if  we  should  ever  reach  anywhere,  when  I 
saw  a  familiar  tank  with  a  temple  in  the  middle  of 
it  and  knew  that  we  were  at  Domad.  My  friends 
the  elephants  had  all  gone  into  the  city,  to  make 
themselves  smart  for  a  big  tamasha  on  the  morrow 
(that  is  another  most  useful  word,  meaning  a  big 
show)  and  the  place  looked  very  desolate  without 
them.  My  third  horse  was  waiting  here,  Mirag  Raj, 
a  beautiful  chestnut,  belonging  to  Her  Highness,  who 
sometimes  allows  me  to  ride  him.  They  had  put  a 
new  saddle  and  bridle  on  him,  which  bothered  me 
rather,  so  I  pretended  that  I  was  in  a  great  hurry 
and  let  him  go  his  own  pace  ;  luckily,  no  one  got  in 
the  way  and  we  had  not  to  pass  through  the  city,  so 
there  was  no  mishap ;  but  it  was  warm  work  and  I 
slept  like  a  top  all  the  afternoon. 

The  next  day  was  a  great  Mohammedan  festival, 
when  the  fast  of  Ramazan,  which  lasts  for  a  month, 
comes  to  an  end.  The  Gaekwar  has  a  good  many 
Mohammedan  subjects,  whom  he  treats  in  every 
respect  on  equal  terms  with  those  of  his  own  religion, 
and  on  this  occasion  he  had  promised  to  attend  the 
festival  in  state,  with  a  procession  of  elephants.  As 
he  knows  how  greatly  I  admire  these  beasts,  he 

154 


JANUARY 

suggested  that  I  should  ride  one  myself,  and  take  a 
carriage  as  well,  as  I  might  find  the  elephant  too 
tiring.  So  off  I  drove  with  a  native  gentleman,  and 
just  outside  the  city  we  found  the  elephant  waiting, 
not  a  very  big  one,  only  about  twelve  feet  high ! 
He  knelt  down,  a  ladder  was  put  against  his  back, 
and  we  scrambled  up,  and  then  held  on  tight  to  the 
side  of  the  howdah,  while  he  got  on  his  feet  again, 
which  gives  you  the  impression  of  being  in  a  ship 
during  a  very  bad  storm.  The  howdah  was  flat  with 
a  silver  railing  round  it,  and  a  cushioned  floor. 
Unless  you  are  sitting  cross-legged  it  is  not  a  com- 
fortable way  of  getting  along,  as  it  makes  your  legs 
very  stiff,  and  rather  sore. 

Presently  we  reached  the  mosque  where  the 
solemnity  was  to  take  place,  a  large  square  court 
surrounded  by  a  low  wall,  the  holy  place  being  sur- 
mounted by  a  dome,  but  open  to  the  view  of  all  the 
worshippers.  It  was  crowded  with  people  wearing 
head-dresses  of  all  the  colours  under  the  sun,  and 
presented  a  most  brilliant  and  animated  spectacle,  of 
which  I  had  an  excellent  view  from  the  back  of  my 
elephant.  Several  men  inside  recognized  me  and 
came  to  speak  to  me  over  the  wall.  We  had  not 
very  long  to  wait  before  the  great  procession  came 
into  view,  and  a  fine  sight  it  was. 

An  advance  guard  of  cavalry  was  followed  by  a 
troop  of  brilliantly  dressed  Sirdars  also  mounted  on 
horseback,  and  then  one  after  another  the  lordly 

155 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

elephants  came  majestically.  They  all  had  their  taces 
and  trunks  painted  with  an  elaborate  design  of  blue 
and  yellow,  carried  gold  or  silver  ornaments,  and  were 
hung  with  long  gold  embroideries,  their  riders  sitting 
in  howdahs  of  every  conceivable  shape.  As  they 
arrived,  they  drew  up  on  either  side  of  the  gateway 
of  the  mosque,  and  then,  advancing  slowly  through 
this  imposing  body-guard,  came  the  Maharaja.  I 
had  sometimes  said,  when  we  were  in  Europe,  that  I 
should  like  to  see  him,  just  once,  in  full  royal  state. 
His  eyes  glanced  keenly  over  the  crowd  until  he 
found  me,  and  then,  as  he  returned  my  salute,  he 
fixed  upon  me  a  long,  steady  look,  which  said  as 
plainly  as  possible,  "  Well,  you  have  seen  me  at  last ; 
so  take  a  good  look  at  me  while  you  have  the 
chance."  He  was  magnificently  dressed,  a  great  plume 
of  diamonds  waving  above  his  puggari,  a  splendid 
collar  of  pearls  and  diamonds  hanging  round  his  neck, 
the  Star  of  India  blazing  with  jewels  on  his  breast, 
and  priceless  rings  flashing  on  his  hands,  as  with  one 
he  returned  the  salutes  of  his  subjects,  and  with  the 
other  grasped  his  jewelled  sword-hilt.  He  was 
mounted  on  an  enormous  elephant  decorated  with  a 
massive  gold  necklace,  gold  cases  for  his  tusks,  gold 
anklets  and  ear-rings — an  elephant's  ear-ring  being 
the  size  of  a  breast-plate — and  golden  bells.  From 
his  back  to  the  ground  hung  a  wonderful  piece  of 
cloth  of  gold,  the  size  of  a  large  drawing-room  carpet. 
Only  a  few  of  the  elephants  can  bear  the  weight 

156 


JANUARY 

of  the  golden  ambari  or  throne,  for  the  carrying  of 
which  they  have  to  be  specially  fed ;  it  is  as  big  as  a 
small  motor-car  and  it  takes  twenty-four  strong  men 
to  lift  it  on  to  the  elephant's  back.  Behind  the 
Maharaja  stood  two  attendants,  one  holding  over  his 
head  the  large  golden  umbrella,  the  other  waving  a 
fan  of  ostrich  plumes. 

As  soon  as  the  Gaekwar  had  taken  his  place,  the 
prayers  and  selections  from  the  Koran  began  within 
the  mosque,  and  it  was  most  impressive  to  see  the 
vast  throng  bending,  at  stated  places,  as  one  man  to 
the  ground,  like  a  field  of  ripe  corn  swept  by  the  wind. 

When  the  short  service  was  over,  the  priest  came 
to  be  presented  to  the  Maharaja  and  to  receive  from 
him  the  accustomed  offerings,  as  much  stuff  as  would 
make  him  a  robe  and  a  turban.  Then  from  a  field 
beyond  the  mosque  a  royal  salute  was  fired  by  the 
big  guns,  a  critical  time  for  me,  as  my  elephant,  who 
had  behaved  beautifully  up  to  this  point,  had 
evidently  not  been  trained  to  cannon,  and  trembled 
like  a  young  earthquake  at  each  explosion.  The 
mahout  had  some  difficulty  to  keep  him  in  order  by 
striking  him  over  the  head  every  time  with  his  heavy 
iron  ankus.  The  poor  beast  must  have  gone  to  bed 
that  night  with  a  very  sore  skull.  Then,  amid  great 
cheering  and  the  strains  of  the  Baroda  Anthem,  the 
procession  moved  slowly  away,  the  comic  relief  being 
afforded  by  a  very  small  Sirdar,  gorgeously  dressed, 
who  got  left  behind  and  was  very  angry  because  he 

137 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

could  not  find  his  servant  and  did  not  like  being 
laughed  at  by  the  crowd. 

I  had  fondly  hoped  to  make  a  triumphal  return  to 
Raj  Mahal  on  my  elephant,  the  admiration  of  all 
beholders,  but  it  was  not  to  be.  We  had  not  got 
very  far  on  our  way  before  things  began  to  look 
rather  out  of  perspective,  and  I  began  to  suspect  that 
our  howdah  was  slipping  off  the  elephant's  back.  My 
companion  spoke  very  little  English,  and  when  I 
mentioned  it  to  him  he  merely  smiled  amiably.  We 
went  on  a  little,  and  the  howdah  went  on  slipping, 
so  I  spoke  to  him  again  about  it.  He  thought  I  said 
the  elephant  was  sleeping,  and  proceeded  to  prove  to 
me  at  some  length  that  he  was  not.  "  Our  elephants 
out  here  do  not  walk  while  they  sleep."  When  I 
tried  again  he  pulled  himself  together  and  gave  me 
an  elaborate  dissertation  on  the  habits  of  the  elephant : 
"  Sometimes  he  will  sleep  while  he  lies  stretched  out 
upon  the  grass,"  and  so  on. 

By  this  time  two  of  the  javelin  men  were  hanging 
on  to  the  girths  to  adjust  the  balance,  and  it  was 
obvious  that  we  should  soon  be  lying  stretched  out 
upon  the  road  with  an  unmanageable  elephant 
jumping  about  on  top,  so  I  made  it  quite  clear  that  I 
had  no  further  use  for  him  and  sent  for  my  carriage, 
reaching  that  harbour  of  refuge  not  without  peril,  as 
they  insisted  on  bringing  the  horses  right  up  to  the 
elephant,  so  that  the  Sahib  might  be  saved  the 
trouble  of  walking  a  few  yards,  making  them  plunge 

158 


JANUARY 

and  kick  and  very  nearly  bolt.  Even  these  radiant 
clouds  of  glory  have  their  darker  side.  The  Gaekwar 
roared  with  laughter  when  I  told  him  about  it,  and 
said  that  I  should  be  remembered  in  India  for  many 
a  long  year  as  the  eccentric  Sahib  who  had  con- 
scientious objections  to  riding  a  sleeping  elephant. 

We  had  one  more  district  to  visit,  and  went  on 
there  after  a  few  days'  rest.  Maharaja  was  getting  a 
little  tired  of  deputations,  and  was  in  two  minds 
about  going ;  but  they  held  out  the  inducement  that 
there  were  numerous  herds  of  wild  boar  in  the 
country,  and,  as  he  had  not  had  any  pig-sticking  for 
some  time  and  wanted  me  to  see  the  sport,  that 
settled  it. 

The  camp  was  pitched  near  to  the  railway  and  a 
few  miles  from  the  village  of  Dubka,  where  there  is 
one  of  the  oldest  of  the  royal  palaces.  We  went  over 
to  see  it  the  next  morning,  and  found  a  long, 
rambling  house,  two  stories  high,  built  round  a  court- 
yard, and  containing  a  great  number  of  low-ceilinged 
rooms  with  narrow  staircases  and  passages  leading 
from  one  to  another.  Although  the  architecture  was 
not  nearly  so  beautiful,  it  reminded  me  in  many  ways 
of  Haddon  Hall.  The  rooms  were  full  of  funny  old- 
fashioned  furniture  that  had  evidently  not  been  used 
for  years,  but  from  the  west  wing  of  the  house  there 
was  one  of  the  most  glorious  views  you  ever  saw, 
over  mile  after  mile  of  undulating  plain  and  wood- 

159 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

land,  and  right  in  front  the  rugged  sides  of  a 
romantic  ravine,  which  ended  in  the  peaceful  waters 
of  a  broad  river,  gleaming  in  the  distance  like  a  great 
belt  of  silver.  I  told  the  Gaekwar  that  I  wondered 
he  did  not  do  the  place  up  a  bit  and  make  it  one  of 
his  favourite  residences,  as  it  is  not  very  far  from 
Baroda,  but,  like  Dr.  Johnson's  too  persistent  friend,  I 
was  left  wondering. 

After  interviewing  the  huntsmen,  we  went  back 
again  to  the  camp,  where  Maharaja  spent  a  very 
busy  afternoon,  as  the  reports  about  master  pig  were 
so  good  that  his  mouth  began  to  water  for  the  sport, 
and  he  was  anxious  to  get  all  necessary  business  over 
as  soon  as  possible,  which  was  the  more  easily  done 
as  the  magistrate  in  charge  of  the  district  was  a  very 
capable  man,  with  a  London  degree  and  any  amount 
of  experience.  At  the  festival  the  week  before,  the 
Gaekwar  had  invited  one  of  his  Mohammedan  friends 
to  come  with  us,  a  fine  old  sportsman  called 
Mohammed  AH,  which  sounds  magnificent,  but  which, 
for  all  I  know,  may  be  as  common  a  name  out  here 
as  John  Jones  is  at  home.  I  had  often  seen  him 
before,  as  he  is  a  constant  attendant  at  Maharaja's 
Friday  levees,  and  often  comes  for  a  drive  with  us, 
when  he  and  I  crack  many  a  joke  together  at  one 
another's  expense,  to  the  amusement  of  the  Gaekwar, 
who  acts  as  interpreter.  He  is  a  fine  old  fellow,  with 
a  large  nose  and  bushy  brows  over  keen,  twinkling 
eyes,  and  he  is  so  seldom  out  of  the  saddle  that  his 

160 


JANUARY 

legs  are  quite  bent,  as  though  he  were  bow-legged, 
which  makes  him  stoop  a  good  deal  as  he  walks. 

We  had  great  fun  together  at  dinner  that  evening, 
Maharaja  trying  to  persuade  him  to  taste  a  dish  of 
bacon,  which  would  be  against  the  rules  of  his 
religion.  He  was  very  amusing  about  it,  and  ended 
by  saying  that  though  he  could  not  eat  ham  with  us, 
he  could  eat  mustard,  making  a  play  on  the  words  in 
Arabic  which  pleased  the  Gaekwar  very  much.  His 
Highness  at  one  time  used  to  eschew  ham  and  bacon, 
an  ancient  prejudice  of  his  house,  but  tasting  it  once 
by  accident,  he  found  it  so  good  that  he  has  now 
grown  very  fond  of  it,  and  we  often  have  a  dish  of 
ham  and  eggs  at  breakfast. 

In  his  youthful  days  Mohammed  had  been  not 
a  little  proud  of  his  wealth,  and  when  a  former 
Maharaja  asked  him  how  much  he  had,  he  replied 
that  if  His  Highness  went  to  war  he  would  supply 
him  with  gold  and  silver  cannon-balls  for  one  year. 
The  Gaekwar  now  began  to  chaff  him  about  this 
unlucky  boast,  and  his  evasive  answers  were  most 
comical  and  ingenious.  However  well  off  these  old 
fellows  may  be,  they  always  make  out  that  they  have 
not  a  penny  to  bless  themselves  with.  They  love  to 
hoard  their  rupees,  and  have  inherited  an  instinct  of 
concealment  from  the  days  when  it  was  not  wise  to 
be  too  rich.  Old  Kaka  himself  is  a  case  in  point ; 
he  is  really  most  comfortably  off,  but  at  night  one 
small  oil  lamp  burns  in  his  suburban  villa,  and  his 

161  ii 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE  GAEKWAR 

garden  gate  is  a  perfect  disgrace,  just  two  wooden 
hurdles  tied  to  the  gate-posts  with  bits  of  old  rope. 
It  is  no  use  talking  to  him  about  it,  as  he  only 
gnaws  his  beard  and  changes  the  subject. 

When  we  left  the  Gaekwar's  tent  together,  I 
suggested  to  Mohammed  that  he  should  come  to 
mine  and  have  a  peg  before  turning  in ;  but  the  wily 
old  bird  was  not  to  be  caught  with  such  transparent 
chaff,  and  went  off  chuckling,  though  you  may  bet 
that  he  knows  how  many  glasses  go  to  a  bottle. 

Very  early  the  next  morning  we  were  up  and 
driving  to  Dubka,  where  we  found  preparations  for 
the  chase  going  busily  along.  In  the  midst  of  an 
army  of  beaters  were  half  a  dozen  hardy  and  game 
little  horses,  active,  well-bred  Arabs,  rather  short,  but 
stoutly  built.  Maharaja  and  Mohammed  were  soon 
in  the  saddle,  grasping  long  spears  with  light  bamboo 
shafts,  some  seven  feet  long,  with  a  flat  four-inch 
blade  at  the  end.  During  our  drive  the  Gaekwar  had 
been  coaching  me  very  solemnly  as  to  what  I  had 
better  do  if  the  boar  attacked  me,  and  Mohammed 
had  his  revenge  for  my  levity  of  the  evening  before 
by  assuring  me  that  in  the  company  of  such  ex- 
perienced shikaris  it  was  not  likely  that  I  should 
come  to  any  serious  harm ;  so  it  was  a  welcome 
surprise  to  find  that  the  local  elephant  was  ready  for 
me,  on  which  I  could  follow  with  the  beaters. 

Off  we  went  through  beautiful  country,  more  like 
an  English  park  than  anything  I  have  yet  seen  here, 

162 


JANUARY 

and  presently  reached  a  covert  where  they  knew  a 
boar  was  hiding.  While  the  beating  was  going  on  we 
kept  very  quiet,  and  as  far  as  possible  out  of  sight. 
We  must  have  waited  for  nearly  half  an  hour,  and  it 
got  more  exciting  every  minute.  At  last  he  came  out, 
looking  suspiciously  about  him,  and  trotted  leisurely 
over  the  plain,  stopping  every  now  and  then  to  have 
a  look  round. 

When  he  had  got  a  good  long  start,  Maharaja 
suddenly  called  out  "  Ride ! "  and  away  they  went. 
As  soon  as  the  pig  saw  them  in  full  pursuit,  he  made 
off  at  great  speed,  covering  the  ground  in  fine  style 
and  with  a  most  curious  action,  as  though  he  were 
tumbling  head  over  heels  like  a  porpoise.  When  the 
riders  got  near  him  he  kept  jumping  from  one  side 
to  the  other,  throwing  them  out,  so  that  they  were 
several  lengths  to  the  bad  again.  But  at  last,  after  a 
gallop  of  a  little  over  a  mile,  he  was  gradually  out- 
paced, and  Maharaja,  levelling  his  spear  for  action, 
got  in  a  good  thrust  which  disabled  him.  The  others 
were  up  almost  immediately  and  he  was  soon  given 
the  coup  de  grace. 

Four  other  pigs  were  ridden  in  the  course  of  the 
morning  and  afforded  a  great  variety  of  sport,  each 
of  them  behaving  differently  from  the  others.  One 
of  them  managed  to  gain  a  good  covert  of  thick 
bushes,  where  he  fought  very  obstinately  and  courage- 
ously, and  was  only  killed  after  a  very  fierce  struggle ; 
another  when  he.  had  ridden  quite  a  short  distance 

163  n* 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

suddenly  turned  round  and  charged  the  horses,  but 
was  soon  brought  to  the  ground  by  a  well-directed 
thrust  from  Mohammed's  spear.  Only  one  got  away : 
he  just  managed  to  gain  the  side  of  the  ravine  in 
time,  and  went  plunging  over  it  regardless  of  what 
was  before  him.  I  quite  expected  to  see  his  mangled 
corpse  stretched  on  the  rocks  below ;  but,  no — there 
he  was  galloping  away  none  the  worse  for  his  adven- 
ture, so  far  as  one  could  see,  though  he  must  have 
fallen  some  forty  feet. 

The  next  day  Sampatrao  joined  the  party,  and  the 
day  after  Nimbalker  took  a  spear  as  well,  so  the  scene 
was  much  more  animated.  They  had  six  or  seven 
runs  each  morning  and  nearly  always  secured  their  pig. 
On  the  second  day  they  had  one  very  exciting  gallop 
after  a  very  game  pig,  who  gave  them  a  four-mile 
chase  and  succeeded  in  reaching  the  river,  when  he 
plunged  in  and  swam  across. 

On  the  last  day  there  was  a  very  amusing  incident : 
they  were  after  a  large  powerful  pig,  who  was  very 
lively  and  kept  jumping  about  all  over  the  place.  At 
last  Mohammed  got  within  spear's  length  and  pricked 
it,  but  without  doing  it  any  serious  damage.  It  soon 
came  within  Maharaja's  reach,  and  he  was  just  pre- 
paring his  spear  for  action,  when  suddenly  he  raised 
it  above  his  head  and  they  all  stopped,  while  the  pig 
scuttled  away  into  safety.  It  then  appeared  that  she 
was  a  sow  and  not  a  boar,  and  that  Mohammed  had 
been  misled  by  the  fine  "  moustache  "  which  the  old 

164 


JANUARY 

lady  sported.  The  Gaekwar,  bubbling  over  with 
merriment,  in  which  we  all  joined,  smacked  him 
heartily  on  the  back  as  he  chaffed  him  about  his  mis- 
take, and  the  old  sportsman  was  not  a  little  confused 
at  having  been  caught  napping. 

My  elephant  behaved  admirably  the  whole  time, 
never  once  getting  at  all  in  the  way  of  the  riders  and 
yet  giving  me  a  splendid  view  of  the  proceedings.  I 
only  wish  I  had  been  able  to  take  a  more  active  part 
in  them  myself,  but  though  I  was  more  or  less  pre- 
pared to  "  die,"  I  should  have  had  very  little  idea 
what  to  "  do,"  and  in  these  matters  a  tyro  is  even  a 
greater  source  of  danger  to  his  companions  than  he  is 
to  himself. 

On  one  of  these  days  an  embassy  arrived  from  the 
Maharaja  of  Jodhpur  announcing  his  approaching 
marriage  and  inviting  the  Gaekwar  to  be  present  at 
it.  One  of  the  rooms  in  Maharaja's  tent  was  turned 
into  a  little  Durbar  hall,  and  he  received  the  guests 
after  dinner  with  all  due  form  and  ceremony.  The 
letter  itself  was  beautifully  illuminated,  and  was  en- 
closed in  a  long  bag  of  red  silk  embroidered  with 
gold  and  closed  at  the  mouth  with  a  heavy  seal  of 
wax. 

The  Rajputs  were  fine  handsome  fellows,  magnifi- 
cently dressed,  and  Maharaja  gave  them  a  long  audience, 
which  was  brought  to  an  end  with  the  usual  garlands, 
bouquets  and  attar  of  roses.  They  then  retired  to 
their  tents,  where  they  spent  the  rest  of  the  evening 

165 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

by  themselves  in  mirth  and  song:  distinctions  of  caste 
have  a  great  hold  over  these  conservative  peoples. 

Maharaja  gave  orders  that  the  bag  should  be  given 
to  me  as  an  interesting  souvenir,  but  I  have  not 
received  it  yet,  as  I  believe  it  has  to  pass  first  through 
the  Clothing  Department,  and  there  will  be  many 
people  ready  to  lay  hands  on  it  on  the  way.  They 
dare  not  disobey  Maharaja's  orders,  but  if  they  can 
evade  them  by  delay  and  red  tape  they  will  do  so 
most  unblushingly.  However,  as  I  have  given  the 
seal  to  Nimbalker,  who  begged  that  he  might  have  it 
to  add  to  his  collection,  I  shall  give  him  no  peace 
until  he  has  got  the  bag  for  me. 

It  is  the  same  with  all  one's  dealings  with  these 
officials ;  they  are  so  crafty  that  you  can  only  get  the 
better  of  them  by  infinite  patience  and  a  firm  deter- 
mination to  have  your  own  way  in  the  end.  No 
wonder  that  the  Gaekwar  groans  over  them  and  that 
even  his  wonderful  patience  is  sometimes  sorely 
tried. 

Maharaja  would  have  liked  to  pursue  pig  for  several 
days  longer,  but  Maharani  and  Indira  were  returning 
from  Lucknow,  where  they  had  been  staying  for  some 
weeks,  and  he  wished  to  be  at  Raj  Mahal  to  receive 
them,  so  we  returned  to  Baroda.  After  dinner 
Shivajirao  drove  me  down  to  the  station  to  meet 
them.  A  number  of  the  Gaekwar's  servants  were 
there  carrying  a  large  canopy  with  curtains  hanging 
down  to  the  ground.  When  the  train  came  in,  this 

166 


JANUARY 

was  taken  up  to  the  door  of  their  saloon,  and  after 
they  had  received  our  greetings  they  walked  beneath 
it  along  the  platform  to  their  motor-car,  completely 
screened  from  hundreds  of  eyes  gazing  eagerly  from 
the  train  when  it  was  heard  that  a  Princess  was 
passing. 

I  drove  back  with  Kaka,  who  had  been  with  them 
and  was  in  great  spirits,  having  all  his  pockets 
crammed  with  the  betel-nut  of  Lucknow,  which  is 
very  good. 

This  light-hearted  patriarch  has  now  invented  a 
new  game ;  in  future  I  am  to  be  his  "  mother,"  and 
he  is  to  be  my  "  child."  So  at  dinner  he  asks  me 
what  he  may  eat  and  comes  round  the  table  after- 
wards to  be  fed  with  sweetmeats ;  and  if  I  see  an 
amusing  toy  in  the  market,  I  bring  it  home  for  him. 
He  shows  great  ingenuity  in  playing  upon  this  fancy 
in  a  hundred  quaint  ways,  which  amuse  Maharani  and 
Indira  immensely ;  Maharaja  looking  on  with  the 
contemptuous  benevolence  with  which  he  would 
regard  a  couple  of  amiable  lunatics,  not  quite  bad 
enough  to  be  packed  off  to  the  county  asylum. 

We  spent  the  afternoon  after  their  return  sitting 
on  the  grass  at  the  rifle-range  on  the  banks  of  the 
river ;  there  are  butts  on  the  other  side,  traps  for 
throwing  up  clay  pigeons,  bottles  floating  down  the 
stream,  running  men  and  deer,  and  many  other  things 
of  that  kind  on  which  a  marksman  may  exercise  his 
skill.  Maharani  is  very  fond  of  this  amusement  and 

167 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

went  on  shooting  for  hours  without  growing  tired  of 
it.  When  we  had  finished,  we  walked  and  drove 
about  the  park  looking  at  the  various  temples  which 
are  enclosed  in  it,  some  of  which  are  very  interesting. 
The  most  beautiful  of  them  all  is  a  wonderful  piece 
of  Mohammedan  architecture,  quite  close  to  Raj 
Mahal,  of  which  Her  Highness  has  a  lovely  view  from 
her  windows. 

Surrounded  by  an  old-fashioned  garden  and  shaded 
by  a  grove  of  trees,  a  broad  flight  of  steps  leads  to  a 
spacious  platform,  from  which  another  staircase  ascends 
to  the  delicately  carved  canopies  which  cover  the 
beautiful  marble  tombs  of  departed  saints ;  beyond 
these  is  a  peaceful  terrace,  ending  in  a  low  parapet, 
standing  twenty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  park,  of 
which  a  beautiful  view  is  seen.  It  would  make  a 
perfect  summer-house,  and  in  England  we  should 
undoubtedly  use  it  as  such,  but  in  India  they  have 
much  more  religious  feeling  than  we  have,  and  the 
tombs  of  bygone  worthies  are  sacred  spots,  undisturbed, 
save  by  the  gentle  hand  of  Time. 

As  I  wanted  to  have  a  closer  look  at  the  jewels 
which  the  Gaekwar  was  wearing  the  other  day,  he 
asked  me  to  come  to  his  dressing-room  before  dinner, 
where  he  would  have  them  laid  out.  I  often  spend 
half  an  hour  there,  as  the  Maharaja  is  such  a  busy 
man  that  sometimes  the  only  chance  of  getting  a  few 
words  with  him  alone  is  when  he  is  changing.  It  is 
a  most  charming  room,  with  plenty  of  books  and 

168 


THE    AUTHOR    AND    HIS    HOST 


JANUARY 

comfortable  chairs  in  it,  and  the  walls  are  lined  with 
spacious  wardrobes,  in  which  are  neatly  arranged 
everything  that  you  could  possibly  want  in  the  way  of 
clothing. 

A  door  on  one  side  leads  to  a  beautiful  bath-room 
with  every  modern  comfort,  and  beyond  this  again  is 
the  room  over  which  his  barber  presides,  fitted  with 
machine  brushes,  shampoo  basins  and  every  requisite 
for  an  elaborate  toilet. 

I  have  never  known  any  man  so  careful  of  his 
personal  appearance  as  the  Gaekwar ;  he  always  looks 
as  though  he  had  come  straight  out  of  a  band-box, 
perfectly  shaved,  brushed,  washed  and  manicured. 
The  only  thing  which  causes  him  any  trouble  is  his 
moustache,  which  wants  to  grow  long  and  which  he 
prefers  to  keep  short,  but  even  this  has  to  submit  to 
the  stern  discipline  which  he  inflicts  upon  it.  How- 
ever often  he  may  have  to  change  his  clothes  during 
the  day,  a  complete  set  of  fresh  linen  is  always  ready, 
and  his  "  harness,"  as  the  native  servants  call  his 
English  kit,  is  most  carefully  kept. 

The  various  pieces  of  jewellery  were  all  laid  out  in 
their  cases,  under  shaded  lamps,  and  I  had  ample  time 
to  examine  them  while  the  Gaekwar  told  me  their 
history.  While  he  is  being  dressed,  two  servants  hold 
a  sheet  before  him,  so  that  he  can  talk  to  me  with- 
out being  seen. 

In  this  matter  of  having  access  to  him  whenever  I 
like,  I  am  the  most  privileged  person  in  the  palace, 

169 


A   YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

and  naturally  am  regarded  with  a  good  deal  of 
jealousy.  He  knows  this  perfectly  well  and  this 
evening  gave  me  an  amusing  instance  of  it.  Some  of 
the  officials  had  come  to  him  with  long  faces,  to 
represent  that  the  mosaic  pavement  in  the  Durbar 
hall  was  being  worn  away,  in  consequence  of  people 
being  in  the  habit  of  crossing  it  in  boots.  This  was 
obviously  aimed  at  me,  as  I  often  come  in  that  way 
after  riding,  and  am  one  of  the  few  people  in  the 
palace  who  wear  boots.  "  There  are  no  bounds  to 
the  ignorance  and  stupidity  of  these  fellows,"  says 
Maharaja.  "  Let  us  send  for  Kaka  and  hear  what  he 
has  to  say  about  it,  he  is  sure  to  have  some 
wonderful  piece  of  advice  to  offer." 

Kaka  presently  appeared  and   the  following  conver- 
sation took  place : 

Maharaja :    "  Kaka,    I    am    informed    that    the   costly 
pavement   in    my    splendid    hall   is  being   spoilt    by 
certain    ill-mannered    people    crossing     it    in     their 
boots,  what  do  you  advise  me  to  do  ?  " 
Kaka  (promptly) :    "  Shut  up  the  porch,  Maharaja." 
Maharaja :    "  Yes,   I   might    do    that,    but    then   how 

are  people  to  enter  the  palace  from  that  side  ?  " 
Kaka :    "  Build  another  one." 
Maharaja :    "  Where  should  I  build  it  ?  " 
Kaka :    "  Where  the  entrance   to  the   medicine  room 


now  is." 


Maharaja :    "  But    that    would    cost    a    great    deal  of 
money." 

170 


JANUARY 

Kaka     (enormously     impressed     by    this     objection) : 

"  Have  a  tin  one." 
Maharaja :    "  O  Kaka,  how  could  I   tack  a  tin  porch 

on  to  my  beautiful  palace  ?  " 
Kaka    (suddenly    struck    by    an    inspiration) :     "  Gild 

it,  Maharaja ! " 


171 


FEBRUARY 

'  I  "HE  Maharaja  had  promised  that  I  should  see 
•*-  some  of  the  ancient  and  historic  cities  of  India, 
and  he  now  suddenly  proposed  that  I  should  set  out 
on  my  travels.  There  were  several  good  reasons  for 
this ;  there  was  nothing  much  going  on  in  Baroda, 
the  cold  weather  would  soon  be  coming  to  an  end, 
and  the  Gaekwar  himself  had  an  engagement  to  attend 
the  prize-giving  at  the  Mayo  College  at  Ajmer,  and 
thought  it  would  be  nice  for  us  to  travel  so  far 
together,  after  which  I  could  continue  my  wanderings 
with  the  assistance  of  my  faithful  Sanka,  who  was 
delighted  at  the  prospect,  as  he  is  an  ardent  student 
of  Indian  history,  and  has  not  yet  travelled  so  far 
afield  as  we  propose  to  go.  My  own  pleasure  was 
tinged  with  regret  at  parting  again  from  Her  Highness 
and  Princess  Indira  so  soon  after  their  return  to  us. 
However,  as  they  are  so  fond  of  saying  here,  "  there 
was  no  help." 

The  morning  before  we  left,  I  was  awakened  by 
weird  strains  of  music,  and  running  on  to  the  balcony 
saw  a  large  company  of  native  performers  sitting  on 
the  ground  before  the  Zenana  Porch,  making  a  most 

172 


FEBRUARY 

jubilant  uproar,  sackbut,  psaltery  and  dulcimer  hard 
at  it,  with  the  lordly  shawm  dominating  the  whole. 
There  was  no  time  that  I  could  distinguish,  and  they 
all  seemed  to  be  playing  different  tunes,  and  yet  the 
general  effect  was  eminently  pleasing  and  stimulating. 
Indians  have  a  very  quaint  fancy  that  certain  melodies 
are  suited  to  certain  times  in  the  day ;  they  have 
morning  music  and  night  music,  and  it  would  be 
almost  painful  to  them  to  hear  an  evening  song 
played  earlier  in  the  day.  I  have  tried  hard  to  grasp 
the  idea,  but  have  not  succeeded.  There  was  no 
doubt,  however,  that  this  music  was  of  a  joyous, 
festal  nature,  and  I  soon  found  out  that  it  was  in 
honour  of  Indira's  birthday ;  she  is  just  sixteen  and 
grows  in  loveliness  and  grace  every  day. 

The  Hindu  Calendar  is  very  imperfect  and  the 
months  fall  at  slightly  different  times  every  year,  but 
many  of  the  more  advanced  people  adopt  the  European 
method.  It  was,  of  course,  a  holiday,  and  Indira  and 
Maharani  had  breakfast  with  us,  which  they  do  not 
often  do. 

I  was  very  anxious  to  give  her  a  present,  but  it  is 
not  an  easy  thing  to  find  at  short  notice  for  a  girl 
who  already  has  everything  she  can  possibly  want.  In 
England  you  could  always  get  flowers,  but  in  Baroda 
you  would  search  for  a  florist's  shop  in  vain.  At  last 
I  bethought  me  of  some  lace  handkerchiefs  which  I 
bought  at  Port  Said,  poor  stuff,  but  the  best  I  had 
to  offer ;  she  would  only  take  one  of  them  just  to 

173 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

remind  her  that  it  was  1117  gift,  but  so  graciously  that 
she  almost  made  me  believe  that  nothing  else  could 
have  given  her  more  pleasure. 

When  I  went  to  my  rooms  that  night,  Sanka  was 
nowhere  to  be  seen,  and  not  a  bit  of  my  packing  had 
been  done  ;  they  told  me  that  he  had  been  spending 
the  evening  at  his  home  and  that  he  would  be  back 
in  a  moment,  but  after  waiting  nearly  an  hour  for 
him  I  went  to  bed. 

Between  three  and  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I 
heard  someone  moving  about,  so  I  called  out,  and  the 
rascal  appeared,  looking  very  guilty  and  saying  that  he 
had  nearly  finished  my  luggage.  As  we  were  to  start 
soon  after  five,  and  as  I  was  quite  sure  that  he  could 
not  possibly  have  done  it  right  by  himself,  I  got  up 
and  dressed  and  then  inspected  his  work.  Of  course, 
it  was  all  wrong,  everything  that  I  did  not  want, 
nothing  that  I  did  want.  I  was  very  angry  and  made 
him  do  it  all  over  again,  while  I  sat  in  an  arm-chair 
and  made  sarcastic  remarks  till  I  had  reduced  him  to 
a  becoming  state  of  penitence.  At  last,  falling  on  his 
knees  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  he  made  confession  of 
his  sin :  "  You  may  beat  me,  Sahib,  you  may  slay 
me  with  the  sword,  but  I  have  deserved  it  all." 
Furious  though  I  was,  I  could  not  help  laughing,  and 
gave  him  absolution,  and  he  has  been  as  good  as  gold 
ever  since. 

We  got  some  more  sleep  in  the  train  until  we 
reached  Ahmedabad,  where  we  had  breakfast.  We 

174 


FEBRUARY 

were  quite  a  small  party,  as  the  Gaekwar  had 
brought  only  two  officers  with  him,  Nimbalker  and 
Shivraj  Sinhji,  the  latter  because  he  is  a  Rajput  and 
we  were  going  into  Rajputana. 

We  beguiled  the  morning  with  books  and  magazines, 
but  there  were  constant  interruptions  as  we  were 
still  passing  through  the  Gaekwar's  territory,  and  the 
stations  were  crowded  with  people  who  wanted  to  see 
him,  until  at  last  we  reached  Mehsana,  an  important 
place,  as  it  is  the  junction  for  three  branch  lines 
constructed  by  the  Gaekwar.  Here  there  was  an 
extraordinary  scene  on  the  platform,  which  was  so 
closely  packed  with  people  that  they  could  hardly 
move  but  surged  about  in  one  great  swaying  mass : 
all  the  local  officials  were  there,  followed  by  servants 
carrying  on  their  heads  large  baskets  full  of  fruit  and 
sweetmeats  which  they  had  brought  to  offer  to  His 
Highness.  Luckily  for  us,  most  of  these  suffered 
shipwreck  on  the  way,  and  even  then  every  compart- 
ment and  corridor  of  the  saloon  was  packed,  like  a 
grocer's  shop,  with  the  things  that  reached  their 
destination. 

The  servants  must  have  had  a  grand  time,  but  we 
ourselves  were  starving  in  the  midst  of  plenty,  for  we 
reached  the  place  just  before  luncheon  time  and  an 
hour  passed  before  we  could  get  away  again,  with  the 
result  that  the  huge  crowds  gathered  outside  the 
station  to  salute  their  Maharaja  were  disappointed, 
except  the  lucky  few  who  happened  to  catch  a 

175 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

glimpse  of  a  hungry  man  very  much  engaged  with 
his  soup-plate.  Just  outside  the  town  we  passed  an 
enormous  building  of  red  brick,  with  stone  facings. 
I  asked  the  Gaekwar  what  it  was,  and  he  replied 
politely  but  rather  wearily  that  it  was  another  of  his 
palaces. 

From  this  point  the  country  became  gradually  more 
bare  and  wild,  as  the  fertile  glades  of  Guzerat  gave 
place  to  the  rocky  sands  of  Rajputana.  The  air 
became  colder  as  we  gradually  ascended,  and  after  tea 
we  were  glad  to  pull  the  blinds  down  on  the  desolate 
scene,  turn  up  the  lights  and  play  bridge  until  at 
last  we  reached  Ajmer,  rather  late  in  the  evening, 
where  we  were  the  guests  of  the  British  Commissioner 
and  his  wife,  very  kind  people,  who  made  us  extremely 
comfortable  and  gave  us  a  very  amusing  time. 

The  Commissioner's  house  is  one  of  a  noble  range 
of  marble  pavilions,  built  by  the  Emperor  Shah  Jehan 
on  the  bank  of  a  beautiful  lake  called  the  Ana 
Saugar ;  the  others  are  used  as  public  offices,  except 
a  very  fine  one  in  the  centre  which  was  often  used 
by  the  emperor  himself,  and  which  has  been  restored 
to  something  of  its  original  splendour.  There  is  a 
delightful  walk  along  one  side  of  the  lake,  with  a 
public  garden  beyond  it :  altogether  a  very  pleasant 
spot. 

I  am  going  to  try  not  to  weary  you  with  endless 
descriptions  of  what  I  see  during  my  little  tour. 
Guide-books  are  excellent  to  read  after  you  get  home 

176 


FEBRUARY 

again,  but  unless  you  have  seen  the  places  yourself 
they  are  not  very  exciting. 

If  you  want  more  details,  there  is  a  capital  book 
by  Reynolds  Ball,  which  will  give  them  to  you  and 
some  pretty  photographs  as  well.  So  I  will  just 
tell  you  shortly  about  the  most  interesting  places 
I  come  across,  and  then  if  you  feel  inclined  to 
pursue  the  subject  further,  you  can  do  so.  Ajmer 
ought  to  interest  you  because  Mason  describes  it  so 
well  in  "  The  Broken  Road,"  which  you  liked  so 
much. 

In  the  morning  we  went  to  see  a  Mohammedan 
mosque,  built  out  of  the  materials  of  a  beautiful  Jain 
temple  and  called  "The  Hut  of  two  and  a  half 
days,"  from  a  tradition  that  it  was  miraculously  built 
in  that  time.  Three  parts  of  it  are  gone  for  ever, 
but  what  is  left  is  very  lovely,  a  glorious  screen  of 
seven  arches  rising  in  the  centre  to  a  height  of  fifty 
feet,  and  behind  this  over  a  hundred  slender  columns, 
all  beautifully  decorated  yet  no  two  being  alike, 
support  the  nine  domes  which  form  the  roof. 

Later  in  the  day  we  visited  the  Dargah,  the  burial- 
place  of  one  of  a  large  family  of  famous  saints,  and  a 
lovely  place  of  hallowed  peace  it  seems  as  you  enter 
it  from  the  noisy,  crowded  street,  with  its  spacious 
courts,  in  which  the  arches  and  domes  of  mosques 
and  tombs  of  white  marble  are  grouped  in  admired 
disorder  under  the  shadow  of  stately  trees. 

On  either  side  of  the  gateway  are  the  two  gigantic 

177  12 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

cauldrons  which  rich  pilgrims  sometimes  fill  with  a 
feast  for  their  poorer  brethren  and  the  guardians  of 
the  shrine,  and  at  the  end  of  the  enclosure  is  the 
deep  ravine,  with  steep  flights  of  steps  cut  out  of  the 
rock  on  which  the  women  talk  in  low,  monotonous 
voices,  while  they  fill  their  pitchers  from  the  stream 
below. 

Most  of  the  next  day  was  spent  at  the  Mayo 
College,  where  many  of  the  young  Rajput  princes  are 
educated.  The  large  hall  of  the  handsome  white 
marble  building  was  full  of  the  usual  speech-day 
crowd,  with  a  platform  at  the  end,  on  which  were 
tables  covered  with  books  and  masters  in  gowns  and 
hoods,  and  you  might  almost  have  imagined  yourself 
at  an  English  public  school,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
brilliant  dresses  of  the  pupils,  nearly  a  hundred  fine 
handsome  boys  of  the  usual  school  ages,  many  of 
whom  recited  very  well  in  English,  Persian,  Sanscrit 
and  Hindi.  The  speeches  were  brought  to  a  close  by 
a  dear  little  Maharaja,  about  eight  years  old,  with  a 
beautiful  face  and  handsome  flashing  eyes,  looking  like 
some  gorgeous  humming  bird  in  his  magnificent 
apparel,  who  recited  in  shrill,  clear  tones  that  could 
be  heard  all  over  the  hall,  a  little  rhyme  beginning : 

"  I  am  a  little  boy,  I  am  not  very  old." 

and  ending : 

"Work  while  you  work,  play  while  you  play, 
That  is  the  way  to  be  happy  and  gay." 
178 


FEBRUARY 

After  which,  he  ran  jumping  with  joy  to  a  lady  in 
the  audience,  who  took  him  on  to  her  lap  and  covered 
him  with  kisses,  while  the  burst  of  cheering  from  the 
other  boys  showed  how  popular  he  was  with  them 
all. 

After  luncheon  there  were  sports,  consisting  chiefly 
of  tent-pegging  and  other  competitions  on  horseback. 
Many  of  the  boys  rode  beautifully,  especially  one 
whose  complexion  was  so  light  that  I  thought  he 
might  perhaps  be  an  Englishman.  He  was,  however, 
a  native  who  had  spent  several  years  in  England.  In 
one  of  the  races  they  had  to  gallop  to  the  end  of 
the  ground,  dismount  and  pick  up  a  nosegay,  and 
then  mount  again  and  ride  back  to  give  the  flowers 
to  a  group  of  ladies  who  were  waiting  for  them  :  on 
the  return  journey,  this  boy  dropped  off  right  at  his 
lady's  feet,  letting  his  horse  go  on  at  full  gallop, 
and  won  the  race  easily. 

The  races  for  the  small  boys  were  very  amusing 
and  pretty  to  watch :  in  one  of  them  they  were 
formed  into  teams  of  six  "  horses "  in  each  and 
"  driven "  by  another  boy  behind  over  small  fences 
which  they  had  to  jump.  The  little  Maharaja  who 
had  bidden  us  "  play  while  you  play  "  got  so  "  happy 
and  gay  "  in  this  race,  that  his  Jetah  became  unfolded 
until  there  were  yards  and  yards  of  it  floating  behind 
him,  which  were  picked  up  by  his  servant,  a  dear  old 
man  who  seemed  to  be  devoted  to  him. 

The  refreshments  were  provided  by  the  Maharaja 

179  12* 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

of  Jodhpur,  who  was  there  all  the  afternoon,  looking 
frightfully  melancholy  and  bored. 

We  had  a  very  pleasant  dinner  at  the  Com- 
missioner's that  night,  just  the  four  of  us,  as  Shivraj 
Sinhji  had  carried  off  Nimbalker  to  spend  the 
evening  with  some  of  his  countrymen  ;  and  when  the 
Gaekwar  went  to  bed,  he  took  me  to  his  room  and 
gave  me  letters  of  introduction  to  such  of  the  Indian 
Princes  as  I  might  come  across  in  my  tour. 

The  next  day  I  went  down  to  the  station,  to 
speed  him  on  his  way  back  to  Baroda,  and  shortly 
afterwards  set  off  myself  with  Sanka  on  my  own  travels, 
and  found  myself  the  next  morning  in  Udaipur,  the 
capital  of  the  ancient  state  of  Mewar  and  a  wonder- 
fully beautiful  place. 

After  breakfast  at  the  hotel,  we  drove  through  a 
fortified  gateway  in  the  bastioned  wall,  and  were  soon 
climbing  the  narrow  staircase  of  the  Prime  Minister's 
house.  I  found  him  sitting  in  the  middle  of  a  small 
crowd  of  hangers-on,  a  grave,  handsome  man  trying 
ineffectually  to  conceal  the  curiosity  and  suspicion 
that  passed  alternately  over  his  face  as  we  talked. 
He  could  not  speak  a  word  of  English,  but  Sanka 
made  an  excellent  interpreter.  It  was  most  comical 
to  see  them  examining  my  letter  of  introduction,  of 
which  none  of  them  could  make  head  or  tail ;  finally, 
Sanka  gave  them  a  very  free  rendering  of  it,  taking 
pains  to  impress  on  them  that  I  was  a  most  dis- 
tinguished person,  a  sort  of  Archbishop,  in  comparison 

180 


FEBRUARY 

with  whom  the  Gaekwar  held  the  light  of  the  sun 
very  cheap  indeed.  The  Minister  swallowed  as  much 
of  this  as  he  thought  fit  and  replied  that,  un- 
fortunately, the  Maharana  was  away  from  home  on  a 
pilgrimage,  having  taken  four  thousand  people  with 
him  and  all  the  best  carriages.  He  would,  however, 
be  delighted  to  do  all  that  he  could  for  me  under 
the  circumstances  and  would  have  a  sheaf  of  orders 
prepared,  which  would  enable  me  to  see  most  things. 
While  this  was  being  done,  he  gave  me  an  excellent 
cigarette,  while  I  admired  his  house  and  told  him 
what  mine  was  like  in  England.  At  last  the  orders 
were  ready,  several  dozen  of  them  on  separate  sheets, 
all  of  which  he  had  to  sign.  When  he  had  finished, 
merely  to  please  him,  I  asked  if  he  would  give  me 
his  autograph  as  a  keepsake.  This  made  him  fright- 
fully suspicious ;  no  doubt  he  thought  I  wanted  it  as 
a  kind  of  blank  cheque,  to  be  filled  in  for  some 
nefarious  purpose.  At  last  he  wrote  it  very  reluctantly 
on  the  smallest  bit  of  paper  he  could  find,  which 
even  my  episcopal  ingenuity  would  find  it  hard  to 
manipulate. 

Meanwhile  a  carriage  and  pair  had  been  found  for 
me  in  the  royal  stables  and  we  drove  to  the  palace, 
which  stands  at  the  end  of  the  main  street  of  the 
city.  Two  gates,  between  which  are  the  carved 
arches  under  which  each  Maharaja  has  been  weighed 
against  gold  and  silver  afterwards  distributed  in 
largesse,  lead  to  the  great  courtyard,  where  the 

181 


A  YEAR   WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 

elephant  fights  take  place ;  with  its  elephant  stables, 
flocks  of  pigeons  and  motley  crowd  of  men  and 
animals,  it  has  a  strikingly  mediaeval  look. 

The  palace  itself  is  an  imposing  quadrangular  pile 
of  granite  and  marble,  one  side  of  it  rising  sheer 
from  the  waters  of  the  lake.  It  is  all  extremely 
picturesque,  and  a  good  deal  of  it  is  beautifully 
decorated.  The  principal  rooms  are  on  the  top 
storey  and  are  approached  by  broad  terraces,  and  the 
views  from  the  windows  of  the  lake  with  its  islands 
covered  with  gardens  and  pavilions  and  of  the 
mountains  beyond  are  superb. 

After  spending  over  two  hours  in  the  palace,  we 
descended  a  steep  and  narrow  causeway  which 
brought  us  to  the  lake,  where  a  large,  comfortable 
boat,  with  several  rowers,  was  waiting  for  us.  From 
the  water  we  were  able  to  form  a  better  idea  of  the 
magnificence  of  the  palace  which  has  been  called  the 
Windsor  of  India.  You  will  smile  to  hear  that  on 
this  side  the  great  marble  walls  have  all  been  white- 
washed, but  under  the  brilliant  sun  this  only  adds  to 
their  dazzling  splendour. 

We  landed  on  two  of  the  islands.  On  the  second 
there  is  a  wonderful  water-gate,  guarded  by  marble 
elephants,  rising  from  the  water  and  leading  to  a 
most  beautiful  pavilion.  The  gardens  were  full  of 
orange  trees  laden  with  golden  fruit,  and  as  by  this 
time  I  was  very  thirsty,  I  could  have  done  with  an 
orange  very  well.  Unfortunately,  I  thought  it  would 

182 


FEBRUARY 

be  more  polite  to  ask  if  I  might  have  one,  and  the 
reply  was  decisive,  "There  is  no  order."  However, 
they  brought  some  water,  with  which  I  washed  my 
mouth  and  hands. 

At  the  further  side  of  the  lake  we  landed  and 
walked  up  to  a  tower  in  the  woods,  in  the  midst  of 
which  is  a  great  pit,  where  boar  and  tiger  meet  in 
mortal  combat,  and  I  was  surprised  to  hear  that  the 
honours  of  war  not  unfrequently  go  to  the  boar. 
While  we  were  standing  on  the  top  of  the  tower, 
the  attendant  uttered  a  peculiar  cry  and  began  to 
throw  down  food  from  a  basket.  In  a  few  moments, 
boars  came  pouring  out  from  the  woods  on  all  sides, 
till  there  were  at  least  five  hundred  of  them  below 
us,  grunting  and  fighting  for  their  food  amid  clouds 
of  dust  from  which  rose  a  very  strong  smell  of  pig. 

As  we  rowed  back  towards  the  palace,  its  white 
walls  flushed  with  the  sunset  and  reflected  in  the 
water  and  the  marble-capped  islands  in  the  fore- 
ground presented  a  scene  of  surpassing  loveliness. 
Crossing  the  lake,  we  landed,  and  were  driven  through 
woods  full  of  peacocks  and  parrots  to  the  public 
gardens,  where  we  stopped  to  look  at  the  wild 
animals. 

As  I  was  dressing  for  dinner,  a  little  accident 
happened,  which  afforded  an  instance  of  the  stoical 
fortitude  which  is  part  of  the  Indian  character.  My 
rooms  were  lit  by  primitive  oil-lamps,  one  of  which 
smoked  very  badly,  so  I  called  for  the  servant  to  put 

183 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

it  right ;  as  he  was  muddling  with  it,  it  exploded 
into  a  sheet  of  flame,  and  he  picked  it  up  and 
carried  it  away  downstairs,  blazing  as  it  was,  without 
a  word.  He  was  badly  burned,  but  he  was  waiting  at 
the  dinner-table,  and  though  his  hands  were  bandaged, 
no  sign  of  the  severe  pain,  which  he  must  have 
been  feeling,  appeared  on  his  face. 

I  sat  next  to  an  amusing  old  Irishman,  who  had 
been  going  about  India  for  the  last  five  years,  selling 
cheap  packets  of  Lipton's  teas,  to  which  the  natives 
are  taking  very  kindly;  even  in  this  remote  corner  of 
the  earth  he  said  he  had  been  doing  very  well. 

Next  day  we  drove  to  the  Maharana's  private 
gardens,  which  are  some  distance  from  the  town.  The 
pavilion  has  several  beautiful  courtyards  in  which  there 
are  fountains,  the  water  pouring  out  from  the  trunks 
of  elephants.  The  gardens  were  fairly  good,  and  they 
gave  me  some  flowers,  for  which  a  special  order  had 
probably  been  signed,  to  make  up  for  my  disappoint- 
ment in  the  matter  of  oranges,  and  no  doubt  all  my 
movements  had  been  minutely  described  to  the 
minister. 

"  Gup "  is  an  even  greater  word  in  India  than 
gossip  is  in  England,  and  you  have  either  to  be 
extremely  careful  or  else  absolutely  careless  of  what 
you  do  and  say,  as  the  words  which  you  speak  in 
your  secret  chamber  are  all  over  the  palace,  the  city 
and  the  camp  by  the  next  day. 

We  had  a  pleasant  drive  home  round  by  the  lakes  and 

184 


FEBRUARY 

through  the  town,  where  we  saw  the  great  Jagganath 
Temple,  standing  high  at  the  top  of  a  fine  staircase. 
At  the  side  of  the  temple  was  a  curious  gargoyle, 
through  which  water  was  trickling,  and  Sanka 
explained  that  the  god  had  been  taking  his  bath.  I 
asked  him  why  he  did  not  drink  some  of  the  water 
as  others  were  doing,  and  he  told  me  that  he  could 
not  do  so  as  he  had  not  yet  had  his  own  bath,  but 
that  he  was  coming  back  later.  In  the  town  he 
bought  a  large  piece  of  sugar-cane  which  he  used  as 
a  walking-stick ;  it  was  gradually  broken  up  and  eaten, 
getting  smaller  every  day. 

Before  leaving  Udaipur,  I  called  again  on  the 
minister  to  thank  him  for  his  kind  attentions  and  to 
ask  him  to  make  arrangements  so  that  I  might  see 
everything  at  Chitorgarh  comfortably,  which  he 
promised  to  do.  When  we  reached  the  station  at 
Chitorgarh  there  was  quite  a  little  stir  on  the 
platform  and  the  station-master  coming  up  with 
profuse  salaams  handed  me  a  long  telegram  beginning 
"  Reserve  elephant  for  Padre  Demon  "  !  The  minister 
had  been  even  more  impressed  by  my  diabolical 
powers  than  I  had  suspected.  However,  the  elephant 
was  there  all  right,  and  very  glad  I  was  to  have  him, 
as  we  had  to  cover  two  miles  of  the  worst  road  I 
have  ever  seen. 

Before  us  rose  the  walls  of  the  magnificent  fort 
crowning  a  hill  three  miles  long  and  five  hundred 
feet  high.  As  .we  crossed  the  massive  bridge  of  grey 

185 


A  YEAR   WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 

limestone  with  its  ten  pointed  arches  and  saw  great 
masses  of  its  parapet  and  towers  lying  in  the 
trickling  stream  below,  it  was  hard  to  imagine  them 
being  swept  there  by  the  flooded  torrent. 

Passing  through  the  narrow  streets  of  the  village, 
we  began  to  ascend  the  long  winding  road  which 
leads  to  the  summit  defended  by  seven  magnificent 
gateways,  each  one  the  scene  of  desperate  encounters 
when  the  Mohammedans  besieged  the  place  in  the 
early  years  of  the  fourteenth  century  for  love  of  the 
beautiful  queen  Padmani.  For  eleven  days  the  battle 
raged  and  eleven  royal  princes,  each  made  Rana  for 
one  day,  fell  in  the  valiant  defence ;  and  then  when 
all  was  lost,  Padmani  and  her  faithful  women  cast 
themselves  into  the  flames,  and  the  last  of  the 
Rajputs  fell  before  the  swords  of  the  invaders. 

All  this  was  told  me  by  Sanka  in  hushed  tones  as 
we  climbed  the  hill,  and  when  we  reached  the  top 
we  made  our  way  to  the  lonely  tarn,  full  of  romance 
and  mystery,  where  stands  the  palace  in  which  the 
last  tragedy  was  enacted,  and  gazed  with  reverential 
awe  upon  the  underground  chamber  in  the  bower 
where  the  hapless  princess  gave  her  body  to  the 
fire. 

Sanka  was  greatly  moved  at  the  sight,  and  in  the 
evening,  when  he  was  putting  me  to  bed,  he  said, 
"When  I  saw  what  I  had  so  long  hoped  to  see,  her 
tower,  her  tank;  when  I  thought  of  our  beautiful 
queen  coming  to  so  miserable  a  death,  then  did  I 

186 


FEBRUARY 

shed  tears  from  my  eyes."  He  spends  his  spare 
moments  sitting  on  the  floor  writing  an  account  of 
our  journey  for  one  of  the  Poona  papers,  a  striking 
example  of  what  the  Gaekwar  is  accomplishing  by 
his  system  of  education.  He  is  an  ideal  companion 
for  sight-seeing,  as  whatever  you  want  to  do  interests 
him  enormously,  and  he  never  wants  to  be  doing 
anything  else.  He  never  speaks  unless  you  speak  to 
him  first,  listens  with  reverential  admiration  to  any 
commonplace  remark  you  are  pleased  to  make,  and 
supplies  unexpected  and  original  ideas  himself. 

Unlike  the  majority  of  the  natives,  who  grate 
frightfully  on  your  nerves  when  they  speak  English, 
he  has  a  pleasant  musical  voice,  which  is  very 
soothing,  he  smiles  sweetly  and  frequently,  and  his 
laugh  is  very  good  to  hear.  He  is  naturally  imitative, 
and  so  far  as  he  can  takes  the  Maharaja,  to  whom 
he  is  devotedly  attached,  as  his  model,  to  his  no 
small  advantage.  He  was  perfectly  content  to  linger 
with  me  for  hours  on  the  summit  of  this  wonderful 
hill,  abounding  with  the  ruins  of  old  temples  and 
palaces,  above  which  the  two  graceful  Jain  towers  of 
Fame  and  Victory  soar  like  two  shafts  of  golden 
sunlight. 

Deep  and  dark  beneath  the  walls  of  the  great 
temple  is  a  beautiful  pool,  shadowed  by  ancient  trees, 
among  the  roots  of  which  the  queen  of  the  serpents 
must  surely  be  slumbering  in  all  the  glory  of  her 
jewelled  head;  and  near  at  hand  is  the  sacred  grove 

187 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

where  the  bones  of  the  Ranas  of  Mewar,  who 
reigned  here  for  centuries  before  Udaipur  was 
founded,  were  burned.  I  had  fears  for  my  own 
bones  when  the  mere  child  who  was  driving  our 
elephant  dropped  his  ankus  on  the  steepest  part  of 
the  descent ;  but  the  dear  beast,  instead  of  bolting 
and  dashing  us  over  the  precipice,  stopped  quickly, 
picked  it  up  with  his  trunk  and  handed  it  up  most 
politely. 

Dreamily  fashioning  a  ballade  with  the  refrain, 
"  The  lovely  lady  Padmani,"  I  fell  asleep  peacefully 
enough  in  the  comfortable  saloon,  which  the  powers 
that  be  had  provided  for  the  Padre  Demon,  but  in 
the  small  hours  my  slumbers  were  rudely  disturbed 
by  a  tornado  of  luggage  which  came  hurtling  in, 
followed  by  a  volcanic  Englishman  in  full  eruption. 
Never  before  have  I  seen  such  an  appalling  apparition. 
The  wheel  of  torture  which  he  brandished  in  his 
right  hand  proclaimed  him  dentist,  and  everything  else 
proclaimed  him  lunatic  in  the  throes  of  delirium 
tremens.  The  worms  on  whom  he  had  been  exercising 
his  fiendish  trade  had  turned  at  last,  and  were 
expelling  him  from  their  midst,  and  as  they  plumped 
him  down  on  the  centre  of  my  anatomy,  I  understood 
that  an  inscrutable  destiny  had  chosen  me  as  the 
unwilling  vehicle  of  his  deportation.  Then  they  fled, 
the  recreant  guard  blew  his  whistle  and  we  sped  away 
together  into  the  night. 

For  half  an  hour  I  humoured  him,  and  we  hobnobbed 

188 


FEBRUARY 

together  over  cases  of  homicidal  instruments  and 
chests  of  deadly  drugs,  and  then  when  he  sprang  up 
to  battle  with  invisible  foes,  I  managed  to  crawl 
away  and  wake  up  Sanka,  who  was  sleeping  next  door. 
Between  us  we  kept  him  in  hand  through  the  weary 
hours,  cheating  him  of  his  weapons  one  by  one,  and 
rescuing  Sanka's  sugar-cane,  with  which  he  was 
defying  the  lightning.  At  Ajmer  I  got  rid  of  him 
by  giving  him  a  "  letter  of  introduction "  to  the 
Commissioner,  who  I  assured  him  would  be  delighted 
to  right  his  wrongs,  and  he  is  probably  now  safely 
lodged  in  the  nearest  asylum.  I  had  counted  on 
mad  elephants,  man-eating  tigers  and  deadly  cobras, 
but  lunatic  dentists  found  me  unprepared.  As  I  ate 
my  peaceful  breakfast,  I  smiled  happily  to  think  of  the 
Commissioner's  face  when  he  arrived. 

Jaipur  is  a  curious  place  of  broad  symmetrical 
streets,  with  the  houses  on  either  side  washed  to  a 
bright  pink.  We  spent  several  pleasant  days  here, 
driving  leisurely  about  to  see  the  sights  and  being 
entertained  at  the  hotel  as  State  guests.  Our  status 
in  this  respect  was  not  revealed  to  us  till  just  before 
the  end  of  my  visit,  when  an  official  from  the  palace 
called  to  request  me  to  sign  my  bill  which  he  had 
been  instructed  to  pay.  I  suppose  that  former  guests 
of  the  State,  having  been  informed  prematurely  of 
their  privileged  position,  have  sat  tight  at  the  hotel 
drinking  champagne,  and  the  State  has  grown  wary. 
The  information  was  a  great  relief  to  Sanka,  who  had 

189 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

been  getting  quite  feverish  with  anxiety  on  the  point 
to  which  he  evidently  attached  great  importance ;  it 
seems  that  a  considerable  amount  of  reflected  glory 
accrues  to  him  through  it.  It  has,  besides,  many 
practical  advantages,  as  you  get  a  comfortable  carriage 
with  a  good  pair  of  horses  to  drive  about  in,  and  you 
are  shown  what  there  is  to  be  seen  without  much 
trouble. 

The  Maharaja  himself  is  a  very  stately  and  conser- 
vative person,  a  direct  descendant  of  the  sun  and 
moon,  very  punctilious  about  caste  and  religious 
observances.  It  was  only  under  great  persuasion  that 
he  came  over  to  England  for  King  Edward's  Corona- 
tion, and  he  brought  with  him  a  shipful  of  Ganges 
water  to  drink  and  to  bathe  withal,  with  a  sufficiency 
of  food  to  last  during  his  stay.  He  did  not,  of 
course,  permit  me  to  see  him,  though  I  have  no 
doubt  that  he  had  a  good  look  at  me,  but  he  sent 
many  polite  messages  through  his  secretary,  and 
ordered  his  library  and  picture  gallery  to  be  opened 
for  my  inspection,  and  very  curious  they  were.  The 
library  consisted  principally  of  bound  volumes  of  the 
Illustrated  London  News,  while  the  pictures  were  the 
weirdest  collection  of  antiquated  rubbish  that  you 
can  imagine.  Some  of  the  armour  on  the  walls  was 
magnificent.  The  Maharaja  does  not,  however,  carry 
his  conservative  principles  too  far,  and  the  Museum 
in  the  city  was  quite  up  to  date,  as  was  also  the 
School  of  Art,  which  has  been  in  existence  for  some 

190 


FEBRUARY 

years  and  where  some  excellent  work  is  being  done, 
especially  in  the  art  of  enamelling  on  brass. 

In  striking  contrast  was  the  Observatory,  built  two 
hundred  years  ago  by  the  great  Jai  Singh,  with 
colossal  instruments  for  measuring  the  movements  of 
the  heavenly  bodies,  all  out  in  the  open  air  and 
covering  several  acres  of  ground. 

The  secretary  was  a  tall,  dignified  person,  to 
whom  Sanka  showed  much  deference,  calling  him 
"  Babu "  repeatedly,  to  my  surprise,  as  I  had  always 
thought  it  was  a  term  of  reproach ;  it  seems,  how- 
ever, that  the  educated  Bengali  delights  to  be  so 
called.  It  is  very  amusing  going  about  India, 
knowing  nothing  whatever  about  it  and  learning  as 
one  goes. 

The  babu  gave  us  a  very  good  attendant  with 
beautiful  manners  and  excellent  English.  During  our 
drive  out  to  Amber,  he  and  Sanka  had  a  long  argu- 
ment in  some  native  dialect,  and  got  so  excited  that 
I  asked  what  it  was  all  about,  and  was  told  that  they 
were  comparing  the  administrative  policies  of  Jaipur 
and  Baroda. 

Amber,  the  ancient  capital  of  the  State,  now 
deserted  in  favour  of  Jaipur,  lies  some  ten  miles  away 
up  in  the  hills :  the  last  two  miles  of  the  road  are 
very  steep,  and  are  covered  on  the  back  of  an 
elephant.  It  is  a  lovely  place  of  cool,  spacious  halls 
covered  with  marvellous  frescoes,  of  marble  lattices 
and  balconies,  from  which  superb  views  of  the 

191 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

mountains  are  displayed.  In  the  most  solemn  of  its 
temples  the  blood  of  a  goat  is  daily  poured  forth  in 
sacrifice ;  otherwise  all  is  silent  and  still.  No  doubt 
it  was  a  very  sensible  thing  to  "  make  the  move  "  (a 
phrase  very  dear  to  the  Indian  tongue),  but  it  must 
have  needed  a  very  practical  mind  and  energetic  hand 
to  make  these  dreamers  do  it. 

Why  on  earth  the  Maharaja  does  not  live  here 
himself  for  part  of  the  year  I  cannot  think ;  it  would 
be  delightful  in  the  summer,  and  he  could  easily  get 
into  Jaipur  by  motor-car.  There  may  be  domestic 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  which  I  know  nothing.  I 
should  have  liked  to  get  his  views  on  the  matter,  but, 
as  I  said,  he  did  not  give  me  the  opportunity. 
Before  I  left  he  sent  me  a  kind  message  to  say  how 
much  he  hoped  I  had  enjoyed  myself,  and  a  large 
photograph  of  himself  with  his  autograph — a  fine 
figure  of  a  man. 

I  spent  a  pleasant  hour  one  afternoon  in  the  palace 
gardens,  where  they  keep  a  large  number  of  mongoose 
to  keep  down  the  snakes.  I  wish  we  had  a  few  of 
them  in  Baroda,  but  I  have  not  yet  seen  one  there. 
There  is  a  large  bank  in  which  the  sacred  crocodiles 
live,  and  we  had  another  sacrifice,  a  pig  this  time,  so 
that  I  might  see  them  crawl  up  on  to  the  bank  to 
feed.  The  keeper  of  the  gardens  walked  about  among 
them  quite  happily,  and  wanted  me  to  come  down 
too,  but  I  preferred  to  stay  on  the  terrace  with  a 
good  stone  parapet  between  me  and  the  ugly  brutes. 

192 


FEBRUARY 

They    might    have    taken    a    fancy    to    a    bit  of  fresh, 
white  meat !  and  I  have  yet  to  see  Delhi. 

Now  that  I  have  seen  Delhi — or  part  of  it,  at 
least,  for  the  ruins  of  ancient  Delhis  go  stretching 
away  for  miles  and  miles,  right  out  to  the  Kutab 
Minar — I  have  really  very  little  to  say  about  it.  It 
is  too  wonderful,  and  I  want  to  reconstruct  it  all  and 
cannot.  There  is  far  too  much  of  it  to  see  in  a 
week :  the  Palace  of  the  Moghul  Emperors,  with  its 
marvellous  halls  of  public  and  private  audience  and 
its  Pearl  Mosque — you  spend  hours  in  it,  half  in 
ecstasy,  half  in  a  kind  of  ludicrous  panic  to  think 
that  in  a  few  months  all  the  beautiful  details  of  it 
will  have  escaped  your  memory ;  the  Great  Mosque, 
with  its  grand  staircases  and  arcades,  and  the  relics  of 
Mohammed ;  the  scenes  of  the  Mutiny,  which  are 
harder  still  to  reconstruct ;  the  bazaars  with  their 
ever-changing  kaleidoscope  of  living  pictures. 

The  very  idea  of  attempting  to  describe  it  all 
makes  one  tremble,  and  one  falls  back  with  relief  on 
the  small  things,  notably  the  exasperating  hours  at 
which  they  give  you  meals  at  the  hotel,  breakfast 
when  you  want  to  be  out  seeing  things,  and  an 
unholy  meal  called  tiffin  when  you  ought  to  be 
asleep.  Certainly  we  manage  these  things  far  better 
in  Baroda.  Then  the  food  is  not  good,  greasy  and 
tough,  and  the  soda-water  is  horrible,  and  everyone 
drinks  whisky  to  drown  the  taste  of  it,  which  is  very 

193  13 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

bad  for  you.  The  inconsistency  of  the  authorities  is 
equally  exasperating ;  they  have  built  barracks  in  the 
palace  gardens,  and  the  place  is  full  of  soldiers  in 
their  shirt-sleeves  carrying  buckets,  with  their  braces 
hanging  down,  so  that  you  wonder  why  they  wear 
any  at  all,  and  women  scolding  children  and  nursing 
babies ;  one  might  as  well  be  in  Chelsea.  And  then 
in  an  obscure  corner  you  come  across  an  Italian  man 
and  boy,  putting  precious  stones  back  into  the 
mosaics  on  the  wall  from  which  they  were  stripped 
years  ago.  In  this  hot  sun  it  is  rather  bewildering, 
but  luckily  it  is  all  in  the  guide-books,  and  when  I 
come  back  we  will  sort  it  out  together.  Pass  we 
then  to  Agra. 

Agra  is  one  of  the  few  places  in  the  world  which 
does  not  disappoint  you.  Before  you  see  other  places 
you  have  imagined  too  much ;  with  Agra  it  is  im- 
possible to  imagine  enough.  You  think  that  you 
know  the  Taj  Mahal  by  heart  before  you  see  it,  and 
then  when  you  do  see  it,  you  understand  that  you 
had  not  the  smallest  idea  of  what  it  was  like.  It  is 
sufficiently  remote  for  you  to  make  a  little  pilgrimage 
to  get  to  it,  a  pleasant  pilgrimage  over  broad,  shady 
roads,  with  pretty  English  girls  passing  you  on  horse- 
back and  making  you  wonder  who  they  are.  And 
then  when  you  get  there  you  forget  all  about  them 
and  everything  else.  A  great  tide  of  loveliness  and 
holiness,  of  peace  and  purity  flows  gently  over  your 

194 


FEBRUARY 

whole  being,  and  rocks  you  softly  on  its  bosom.  The 
marble  domes  and  minarets  reflected  in  the  placid 
water-ways  between  the  avenues  of  cypress,  with  the 
sacred  river  beyond ;  you  knew  that  you  would  find 
them  all  there,  but  when  you  enter  into  the  Presence, 
you  feel  at  once  that  here  is  something  unheard  of, 
undreamt  of,  unimaginable. 

And  so  I  stayed  longer  in  Agra  than  I  had  meant 
to  do ;  partly  no  doubt  because  I  found  in  the 
regiment  of  cavalry  stationed  there,  old  friends  who 
had  come  out  with  me  on  the  Macedonia,  but 
chiefly,  I  believe,  bound  there  by  the  fascination  of 
the  Taj.  I  could  not  talk  to  them  about  it ;  most 
of  them  had  been  in  Agra  for  six  months  or  more 
and  had  seen  it  once  or  twice.  I  was  not  exactly 
ashamed  of  my  infatuation,  but  I  did  not  wish  to 
speak  of  it.  And  so  whatever  else  might  be  going  on, 
tennis,  picnics,  dinners  or  dances,  I  always  managed 
to  slip  away  once  at  least  in  a  day,  now  at  sunrise, 
now  at  sunset,  at  one  time  in  the  full  blaze  of  noon- 
day heat,  at  another  in  the  softer  splendour  of  the 
full  moon,  and  spend  an  hour  or  more  wandering  in 
the  sacred  precinct. 

There  are  many  other  beautiful  things  in  Agra, 
most  of  them  first  cousins  of  what  we  had  seen  at 
Delhi ;  but  the  only  other  spot  in  which  I  loved  to 
linger  was  the  low-roofed  chamber  in  the  Fort  to 
which  the  builder  of  the  Taj,  after  seven  years  of 
rigorous  captivity,  was  carried  just  before  his  death 

195  13* 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

that  he  might  look  once  again  across  the  placid  waters 
of  the  river  upon  its  virgin  domes.  What  death-bed 
in  the  world  could  have  inspired  more  pity  and  terror 
than  his  ? 

One  other  pilgrimage  I  made,  a  matter  of  fifty 
miles  over  hot  dusty  roads,  to  Fatehpur  Sikri,  and  it 
was  well  worth  the  trouble.  Here  is  another  deserted 
capital,  built  for  a  whim  by  the  great  Akbar  and 
then,  after  twenty  years  of  splendour,  left  to  the  owls 
and  bats.  It  seems  certain  that  he  came  here  to 
enjoy  the  society  of  a  holy  saint  who  had  taken  up 
his  abode  in  the  wilderness,  but  whether  he  left  it 
because  the  saint  got  tired  of  the  frivolities  of  the 
Court  or  because  there  was  no  proper  water  supply 
is  uncertain.  Probably  the  holy  man  thought  there 
were  too  many  women  about  the  place. 

Covered  galleries  lead  from  Akbar's  apartments  to 
those  of  his  Hindu  wife,  of  his  Christian  wife  and  of 
the  Turkish  Lady,  who  must  have  been  a  dear  little 
thing  if  one  may  judge  from  the  doll's-house  of  red 
sandstone,  every  inch  of  it  covered  with  exquisite 
carving,  in  which  she  lived.  One  of  the  walls  of  the 
Christian  wife's  house  is  covered  with  a  fresco  of  the 
Annunciation.  The  whole  city  is  built  of  red  sand- 
stone with  one  dazzling  splash  of  purest  white  marble 
in  it,  the  tomb  of  the  Saint  in  the  courtyard  of  the 
Great  Mosque.  The  screen  of  marble  fretwork  round 
the  tomb  is  almost  covered  with  offerings  tied  to  it 
by  women  who  want  children. 

196 


FEBRUARY 

The  official  guide  who  came  round  with  us  was  a 
very  tall,  handsome  man,  the  fourteenth  in  direct 
descent  from  the  Saint ;  he  suggested  that  I  should 
make  an  offering,  to  which  I  replied,  Heaven  forbid ! 
that  in  England  a  bachelor  clergyman  might  have  a 
family  Living,  but  that  it  was  not  considered  at  all 
correct  for  him  to  have  a  living  family.  When  Sanka 
had  given  a  free  rendering  of  this  in  the  vernacular, 
the  ghost  of  a  smile  flickered  across  our  guide's  face 
as  he  said  that  that  would  be  all  right ;  the  offering 
would  be  equally  good  for  a  wife.  I  stipulated  that 
she  must  be  a  good  wife,  to  which  he  replied  dryly 
in  English,  "  Oh,  yes ;  good  wife  and  plenty  of  money." 
Then  came  the  difficult  question  what  I  was  to  offer. 
I  had  only  one  handkerchief  in  my  pocket  and  could 
not  well  spare  my  braces ;  then  my  eye  caught  the 
red  silk  marker  in  Murray's  handbook  and  it  was  soon 
fluttering  gaily  on  the  screen.  Our  saintly  attendant 
promised  the  help  of  his  prayers  to  make  the  charm 
work,  but  I  am  afraid  that  he  has  not  yet  had  time 
to  begin,  although  it  was  not  forgotten  in  the 
exchange  of  rupees  which  was  made  between  us 
before  we  parted  ;  at  any  rate  it  brought  me  no  luck 
in  Agra. 

In  other  ways  also  my  lucky  star  was  under  a  cloud. 
A  telegram  from  Gwalior  informed  me  that  the 
Maharaja  Scindhia  was  away  from  home.  I  had  had 
so  much  of  the  Mutiny  at  Delhi  that  Lucknow  and 
Cawnpore  began  to  appear  superfluous.  After  the  Taj 

197 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

I  felt    sure    that  I    should   not  care  about  the  Golden 
Temple  at  Amritsar. 

In  short,  I  was  not  feeling  at  all  well,  and  the 
long  day  at  Fatehpur  Sikri  finished  me.  The  doctor 
said  there  was  not  much  the  matter,  but  that  the 
hotel  food  had  not  suited  me  and  I  had  been  doing 
too  much.  I  made  a  feeble  stand  for  Benares,  only  to 
be  told  that  it  was  the  last  place  in  the  world  for 
me  to  go  in  my  present  condition  and  that  the  best 
thing  I  could  do  would  be  to  get  back  as  soon  as 
possible  to  Baroda.  I  was  all  the  more  inclined  to 
follow  his  advice  as  Sanka  had  a  touch  of  fever,  and 
the  item  "  Medicine  for  my  sake "  appeared  almost 
daily  in  his  accounts. 

Before  parting  from  the  Maharaja,  he  had  told  me 
to  wire  to  him  at  once  if  I  was  in  any  difficulty, 
saying  that  although  he  hoped  I  would  stay  away  as 
long  as  I  liked,  and  see  everything  I  pleased,  he  would 
be  glad  to  see  me  again  whenever  I  cared  to  come. 
So  I  determined  to  follow  the  path  of  prudence ;  and 
very  glad  I  am  that  I  did  so,  for  by  the  time  we 
reached  Baroda,  Sanka  was  in  a  state  of  collapse,  and 
is  still  on  the  sick  list. 

A  few  days'  rest  and  the  skilful  care  of  Dr.  Jadhav 
soon  put  me  on  my  legs  again,  and  I  was  delighted 
to  find  myself  once  more  among  my  kind  and  hospi- 
table friends,  who  gave  me  the  warmest  of  welcomes, 
and  made  me  tell  them  all  my  experiences  during  my 
absence.  I  was  inclined  to  be  distressed  at  having 

198 


FEBRUARY 

made  such  a  poor  attempt  to  carry  out  the  ample 
programme  which  they  had  planned  for  me,  but 
Maharaja  said  cheerfully  that  India  was  a  large 
country,  and  that  he  meant  to  show  me  a  good  deal 
more  of  it  yet,  and  to  go  with  me  himself.  He  then 
told  me  that  they  had  arranged  to  spend  the  hot 
weather  at  Ootacamund  in  the  Nilghiri  Hills  and 
hoped  that  I  would  go  there  with  him,  an  invitation 
which  I  gladly  accepted  ;  so  you  will  not  see  me  at 
home  yet  awhile. 


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"NT  O  visit  to  India  would  be  complete  without  its 
-*•  ^  tiger-shoot,  and  much  though  I  hoped  to  see 
one,  I  never  thought  for  a  moment  it  would  come 
off.  It  has,  however,  and  in  circumstances  which 
make  it  almost  unique,  or,  at  least,  quite  worth 
recording,  although  you  would  think  it  a  subject  on 
which  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  anything  fresh  to 
say. 

This  particular  shoot  had  been  arranged  for  the 
Gaekwar,  by  the  Maharaja  of  Rewah,  a  Rajput  chief 
of  the  old  school,  who  had  evidently  determined  to 
do  the  thing  really  well;  and  Her  Highness,  who,  as 
I  have  already  told  you,  is  one  of  the  best  shots 
among  the  Indian  ladies,  and  as  keen  on  sport  as  any 
man,  English  or  Indian,  was  specially  invited  to  take 
part  in  it.  It  had  long  been  her  ambition  to  shoot  a 
tiger,  and  she  was  now  looking  forward  with  the 
keenest  enjoyment  to  the  opportunity  of  doing  so. 

After  spending  a  few  days  in  Bombay,  we  set  out 
on  the  long  railway  journey,  His  Highness  being 
accompanied  by  his  private  secretary,  Nimbalker  and 

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MARCH 

another  officer,  who  is  one  of  the  best  shots  in  the 
Baroda  army,  Dr.  Jadhav,  Turnbull,  who  had  given 
Shiva jirao  a  holiday  for  the  occasion,  and  myself. 
Two  chauffeurs  in  charge  of  their  cars,  a  couple  of 
clerks,  and  our  personal  servants,  completed  the  party, 
with,  of  course,  the  women  in  attendance  on  Her 
Highness. 

We  arrived  on  the  evening  of  the  second  day  at  a 
station  about  fifty  miles  from  Rewah,  where  we  spent 
the  night  in  bungalows  which  had  been  specially 
prepared,  and  set  off  early  the  next  morning  in 
motor-cars  to  our  first  halting-place,  where  breakfast 
was  ready,  after  which  we  went  on  to  the  first  camp, 
about  thirty  miles  farther  on. 

The  road  lay  principally  through  rocky  jungle,  over 
high  ranges  of  hills,  which  were  so  steep  that  in  some 
places  the  cars  could  not  climb  them.  What  do  you 
think  they  did  ?  They  had  elephants  waiting,  which 
were  harnessed  with  strong  ropes  to  the  cars  and 
hauled  them  over.  It  was  an  extraordinary  sight,  and 
I  wish  I  had  been  able  to  get  a  snapshot  of  it. 
Throughout  our  visit,  cars  were  sent  in  daily  from  the 
camp  to  the  town  to  bring  in  ice  and  fresh  meat, 
fish  and  vegetables ;  and  two  hundred  coolies  were 
kept  night  and  day  at  the  steep  places  to  pull  the 
cars  over  with  long  ropes. 

We  found  the  Maharaja  of  Rewah  waiting  to 
receive  us  at  the  camp,  a  fine  looking  man,  with  his 
black  bushy  beard  parted  in  the  middle  and  brushed 

201 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

up  on  either  side,  making  him  look  very  fierce.  He 
is  very  strict  in  his  observance  of  Hindu  customs  and 
has  three  wives,  whom  of  course  we  did  not  see.  One 
of  them  is  said  to  be  very  young  indeed,  and  is  called 
"  the  Toy."  Everything  in  his  State  is  very  primitive 
and  old-fashioned,  and  there  is  always  a  crowd  of 
people  with  petitions  hanging  about. 

In  the  camp  all  had  been  prepared  on  the  most 
lavish  scale.  A  few  weeks  before  it  had  been  jungle, 
with  tigers  roaming  through  it ;  now  two  bungalows 
had  been  built  for  their  Highnesses,  surrounded  by 
small  gardens,  gaily  planted  with  flowers,  and 
magnificent  tents,  one  of  which  I  shared  with  Turn- 
bull,  put  up  for  the  rest  of  the  party.  Sumptuous 
dinners  were  prepared  by  special  cooks,  and  unlimited 
champagne  of  the  best  brands  flowed  freely  for  those 
who  wanted  it. 

We  stayed  for  three  days  in  the  first  camp,  and 
then  moved  on  to  another  equally  well  appointed, 
where  we  remained  for  a  week.  The  days  were  all 
very  much  alike,  and  it  is  hard  to  remember  details ; 
so  I  will  give  you  a  general  idea.  Except  for  the 
great  heat,  which  was  alleviated  in  every  possible 
way,  we  suffered  no  hardships  at  all ;  it  was,  in  fact, 
tiger-shooting  made  easy. 

All  the  morning  we  stayed  in  the  camp,  for  even 
on  this  expedition  for  pleasure  and  sport  the 
Gaekwar  had  his  work  to  do,  and  did  it  with  his 
accustomed  thoroughness,  rising  at  daybreak  to  read 

202 


MARCH 

his  correspondence  and  dictate  letters  on  affairs  of 
state  to  his  secretary,  and  then  reading  solidly  for  two 
or  three  hours  with  me  or  Turnbull. 

At  noon  we  had  breakfast  and  started  at  about 
three  o'clock  for  a  fifteen  mile  drive  by  motor-car 
into  the  jungle.  We  had  ten  cars  altogether,  and  a 
hundred  miles  of  new  roads  had  been  made  for  them, 
so  as  to  avoid  the  tiring  journey  on  elephants  or  in 
carts  over  the  rough  country  roads.  However,  within 
a  mile  or  two  of  our  destination  the  cars  were  stopped, 
for  fear  of  startling  the  tigers,  and  we  mounted 
elephants,  which  took  us  to  the  machans. 

These  machans  are  platforms  built  on  to  the  trees, 
ten  or  fifteen  feet  above  the  ground  and  approached 
by  ladders,  with  just  enough  room  to  stand  or  sit  on 
them.  There  were  usually  seven  or  eight  of  them ; 
not  absolutely  safe,  of  course,  as  a  tiger  has  been 
known  to  spring  as  high  or  even  higher,  but  we  were 
each  provided  with  a  trusty  shikari,  who  would  be 
useful  in  an  emergency.  They  were  placed  about 
fifty  yards  away  from  one  another,  their  Highnesses 
and  the  Maharaja  of  Rewah  occupying  the  three 
central  ones.  The  tigers  were  driven  towards  the 
machans  by  a  large  army  of  beaters,  and  would  some- 
times come  within  a  few  yards  of  them.  If  the  tiger 
tried  to  escape  under  one  of  the  trees  where  we 
were,  we  had  to  make  a  noise  so  as  to  send  it  back, 
and  it  would  generally  get  within  range  of  one  of  the 
central  machans  and  be  shot.  When  the  beat  began 

203 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

a  bugle  sounded,  and  a  tiger  would  generally  make 
his  appearance  every  half-hour  or  so. 

Now  and  then  a  tiger  would  be  wounded  and 
escape,  and  then  there  was  great  excitement.  The 
beaters,  warned  by  the  bugle,  would  swarm  up  the 
nearest  trees,  while  the  guns  would  mount  elephants 
with  special  howdahs  made  with  protecting  walls 
against  the  attack  of  a  wounded  tiger,  and  would 
follow  him  up  until  he  was  found  and  despatched. 
This  takes  some  time,  perhaps  an  hour  or  two,  but  it 
is  very  necessary,  as  if  the  tiger  escaped  altogether  he 
might  become  a  man-eater.  Then  back  to  the  camp, 
which  we  usually  reached  between  seven  and  eight 
o'clock,  and  dinner,  which  was  sometimes  followed  by 
a  rubber  but  more  often  by  bed,  as  we  were  all  tired. 

The  most  exciting  adventure  we  had  came  at  the 
end  of  a  rather  slack  day.  We  were  beginning  to 
think  about  going  home  if  the  last  beat  proved  blank 
when  suddenly  three  tigers  were  seen  making  straight 
for  the  Gaekwar's  machan.  His  Highness  killed  the 
first  by  a  well-directed  shot  in  the  neck,  and  wounded 
the  second,  which  turned  and  took  refuge  in  a  rocky 
nullah  some  two  hundred  yards  away.  The  third  tiger 
was  mortally  wounded  by  the  Maharaja  of  Rewah  and 
managed  to  crawl  into  the  same  nullah.  The  beaters 
were  at  once  informed  by  signal  that  two  of  the  tigers 
were  wounded,  and  some  more  adventurous  than  the 
rest  approached  the  edge  of  the  nullah.  They  were 
seen  by  one  of  the  tigers,  who  was  luckily  too  much 

204 


MARCH 

injured  to  spring,  but  he  roared  in  such  a  terrifying 
fashion  that  it  was  a  case  of  sauve  qui  pent,  and  they 
all  turned  and  swarmed  up  the  nearest  trees.  As 
soon  as  we  had  ascertained  that  there  were  no  other 
tigers  about,  some  of  us  mounted  elephants  and  with 
great  difficulty  persuaded  them  to  descend  into  the 
nullah.  The  place  was  so  full  of  rocks  and  bushes 
that  the  search  was  most  exciting,  and  it  was  a  good 
half-hour  before  we  found  one  tiger  lying  half 
concealed  beneath  a  huge  boulder  and  gave  him  his 
quietus.  The  other  we  were  unable  to  find  :  he  had 
probably  been  wounded  very  slightly  and  had  managed 
somehow  to  slip  away. 

One  night  considerable  excitement  was  caused  by  a 
fire  in  the  native  quarters,  which  we  all  went  to  see. 
For  a  long  time  it  blazed  very  fiercely,  spreading 
rapidly  from  one  hut  to  another,  but  at  last  they 
managed  to  get  it  under  without  any  great  damage. 

The  arrangements  for  locating  the  tigers  were  very 
complete.  Telephone  wires  had  been  laid  through  the 
jungle  in  all  directions,  and  shikaris  placed  in  every 
part  of  it :  then  when  one  of  them  discovered  a  tiger 
he  sent  a  message  immediately  to  headquarters  and 
steps  were  taken  accordingly.  I  believe  that  this  is 
the  first  time  that  the  telephone  has  been  used  for 
this  purpose.* 

No    game    was    shot    but    tigers,    except     on     one 

*  I  have  since  heard  that  when  the  Viceroy  went  to  shoot  with  the  Maharaja 
Scindhia  of  Gwalior  the  heliograph  was  used  in  a  similar  way. 

205 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

occasion  when  Her  Highness  shot  a  bison.  Altogether 
seven  tigers  fell  to  the  Maharaja,  five  to  the  Maharani 
and  three  to  the  Maharaja  of  Rewah. 

On  the  way  back  to  Rewah  a  stop  was  made  at 
the  famous  game  preserve,  a  tract  of  land  several 
square  miles  in  extent  enclosed  by  a  high  wall,  over 
which  not  even  a  tiger  could  escape.  There  are 
three  entrances  with  large  gates,  over  which  rooms 
have  been  built  for  sportsmen. 

For  a  week,  food  in  large  quantities  had  been 
placed  in  this  preserve,  and  then  the  gates  were 
closed  the  day  before  our  arrival.  As  soon  as  their 
Highnesses  had  taken  their  places  in  the  rooms,  the 
beat  began  from  the  end  of  the  preserve  farthest 
away  from  the  gates.  Presently  the  devoted  victims 
began  to  appear,  at  first  in  twos  and  threes,  and  then 
in  large  herds.  There  were  hundreds  of  sambur, 
but  when  several  dozen  had  fallen  the  shooting 
ceased  at  the  Maharani's  request,  as  she  said  it  was 
becoming  mere  butchery.  Just  then  a  tigress  came 
along  with  her  cubs :  the  Maharani  had  laid  aside  her 
rifle,  but  she  caught  it  up  again,  and  shot  one  of 
the  cubs.  Instantly  the  tigress  turned  and  went 
down  the  line  of  beaters  striking  at  them  as  she 
went.  Five  of  them  were  badly  mauled,  and  of 
these  three  died  of  their  wounds  afterwards.  Her 
Highness  was  much  concerned  at  this  sad  termination 
of  the  expedition,  which  she  had  so  much  enjoyed : 
she  requested  that  she  might  be  kept  informed  of  the 

206 


MARCH 

condition    of    the    sufferers,    and    sent    suitable    com- 
pensation to  their  families. 

Soon  after  our  return  to  Baroda  we  came  in  for 
the  Muharram  festival,  which  is  of  Mohammedan 
origin,  but  is  now  observed  as  a  general  holiday. 
Strictly,  it  is  a  Moslem  miracle-play,  something  like 
the  Passion  Play  at  Ober-Ammergau,  representing  the 
martyrdom  and  death  of  Hassan  and  Hossein,  sons  of 
Ali  and  Fatima,  the  son-in-law  and  daughter  of 
Mohammed.  Moslems  of  the  Shi'ah  persuasion 
assemble  in  the  house  of  mourning,  and  a  procession 
is  formed  in  which  Tabuts,  or  biers,  are  carried, 
before  they  are  thrown  into  the  river  or  the  sea. 
The  mourners  move  in  a  circle,  beating  their 
breasts  and  crying,  "  Hassan !  Hossein ! "  Such, 
according  to  Murray,  is  the  orthodox  ceremony,  in 
which  no  Sunnis  are  allowed  to  take  part. 

So  far  as  I  can  make  out,  we  did  not  see  the  real 
Shi'ah  ceremony,  but  a  caricature  of  it  conducted  by 
the  Sunnis,  who  do  not  look  upon  Hossein  as  a 
martyr,  but  turn  the  occasion  into  ridicule,  in  which 
they  are  joined  by  a  mob  of  Hindus  and  other  sects. 

It  seems  to  be,  in  fact,  something  like  our  Guy 
Fawkes  celebrations  in  England  on  the  fifth  of 
November,  when  we  all  turn  out  to  throw  the  poor 
old  Pope  on  to  the  bonfire,  not  because  we  are 
fanatical  Protestants,  but  just  for  the  fun  of  the 
thing. 

207 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

However  that  may  be,  though  no  one  seemed  to 
know  exactly  what  it  was  all  about,  they  were  all 
agreed  that  we  should  have  an  amusing  evening.  And 
so  we  did.  Pilajirao  came  to  dinner,  and  afterwards 
he  and  Shivajirao  and  I  had  an  elephant  and  went 
down  into  the  city.  The  streets  were  swarming  with 
people,  acrobats,  jugglers  and  dancers  were  performing 
at  every  corner,  and  fireworks  were  being  let  off  all 
over  the  place.  We  should  have  been  nowhere  with- 
out our  elephant :  no  horse,  however  well  trained, 
would  have  stood  it  for  a  moment ;  but  an  elephant 
takes  it  all  very  calmly  and  can  make  his  way  through 
the  densest  throng.  If  they  are  too  mad  or  too 
drunk  to  get  out  of  his  way,  he  quietly  takes  them 
up  in  his  trunk  and  throws  them  into  the  gutter,  and 
later  in  the  evening  an  ambulance  takes  them  to  the 
hospital. 

Goodness  only  knows  what  we  saw ;  for  two  hours 
it  was  pandemonium  let  loose.  And  then  came  the 
wonderful  contrast,  which  never  fails  to  delight  me, 
the  stillness  of  the  palace  gardens  with  the  palms 
rustling  in  the  breeze,  and  the  graceful  tower  soaring 
to  the  stars  blazing  in  the  deep  blue  sky ;  the  ring  of 
the  sentry's  lance  on  marble  steps  as  the  old  elephant 
shuffles  by  to  put  us  down  among  the  carved  traceries 
of  the  porch  ;  the  spacious  dignity  of  hall  and  stair- 
case, where  solemn  figures  in  scarlet  and  gold  bow  to 
the  ground  as  we  pass  to  our  quiet  rooms,  from  which 
the  roar  of  the  distant  city  can  be  heard  as  a  whisper- 

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MARCH 

ing  murmur.  It  is  like  turning  into  the  quadrangle 
of  an  Oxford  college  after  a  Town  and  Gown  riot  in 
the  High,  with  an  added  touch  of  royalty  which  is 
very  pleasing  to  my  plebeian  mind.  Be  it  never  so 
splendid,  there's  no  place  like  Raj  Mahal. 

The  next  day  we  all  went  down  to  see  the  pro- 
cession from  the  balconies  of  the  Old  Palace,  which 
were  crowded  with  all  the  English  people  from  the 
camp  as  well  as  with  the  native  officials.  Old 
Mohammed  Ali  was  there  with  a  great  curved  sword 
dangling  between  his  curved  legs  and  tripping  him 
up  as  he  panted  up  the  steep  staircase.  We  were 
very  pleased  to  see  one  another  again,  and  it  was 
good  to  hear  his  great  gurgling  laugh  while  I  tried  to 
find  out  whether  he  was  a  Shi'ah  or  a  Sunni,  so  that 
I  might  be  the  same.  Religious  feeling  is  said  some- 
times to  run  very  high  at  this  festival,  but  there  was 
no  trace  of  it  to-day;  everyone  seemed  to  be  out  to 
enjoy  himself. 

I  wanted  to  look  at  Mohammed's  sword,  but  he 
would  only  let  me  draw  it  a  little  way ;  if  it  is  drawn 
right  out  of  the  sheath,  it  is  not  returned  till  it  has 
drawn  blood.  Presently  the  procession  started,  headed 
by  the  Gaekwar  on  his  elephant ;  then  came  Sampatrao, 
very  excited  and  voluble,  waving  his  hand  gaily  to  the 
ladies  on  the  balcony ;  then  Kaka,  in  a  resplendent 
Kashmir  shawl,  looking  very  fierce  and  gnawing  his 
beard ;  then  Mohammed  Ali,  being  bundled  up  into 
his  howdah  like  a  clown  in  a  circus,  with  his  eye  on 

209  14 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

the  gallery;  then  a  host  of  smaller  notables  with  their 
eye  on  the  photographer's  camera.  They  were 
followed  by  an  interminable  medley  of  fire-eaters, 
sword  swallowers,  dancing  girls,  mendicant  fakirs  loaded 
with  chains,  rope-walkers  and  actors ;  and  so  the  pro- 
cession rolled  leisurely  by  for  hours,  each  bit  of  it 
blocking  the  way  of  the  others  while  it  gave  its 
performance  before  our  balcony. 

As  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  the  gay  Tabuts  came 
swaying  down  the  road,  fanciful  copies  of  the  tombs 
of  Hassan  and  Hossein,  made  of  glittering  gimcrack 
and  tinsel  and  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  men  and 
boys  shouting  wildly  and  dancing  in  the  most  fan- 
tastic way.  Horses  smeared  with  blood  followed, 
carrying  little  boys,  Hossein's  children ;  then  a  litter 
with  Hossein's  sister  and  widow,  very  popular ;  then 
Hossein  himself,  tall  and  dignified,  with  a  big,  green 
and  gold  turban.  And  all  round  a  mighty  throng  of 
merry-makers,  wild  with  excitement,  painted,  feathered 
and  dressed  in  fantastic  garments,  sv/eeping  along  arm- 
in-arm,  dancing  and  leaping,  and  never  for  a  moment 
ceasing  to  shout  with  all  the  power  of  their  lungs, 
"  Hassan  !  Hossein  !  Hassan  !  Hossein  !  "  I  wonder  if 
I  shall  ever  get  the  sound  of  those  shrill,  cracked 
voices  out  of  my  ears. 

When  they  had  all  gone  by,  Shiva jirao  drove  me  in 
the  car  down  to  the  bridge  to  see  them  arrive  at  the 
river.  The  great  flights  of  steps  on  either  side  of  the 
bathing  place  were  thronged  with  tens  of  thousands 

210 


MARCH 

of  wild,  eager  faces  and  the  water  was  full  of  bobbing 
black  heads,  above  which  towered  the  Tabuts  as 
they  went  slowly  swirling  down  the  stream  to  make  a 
curious  procession  of  their  own  between  miles  of 
solitary  banks ;  an  object  of  curiosity  to  troops  of 
chattering  monkeys  and  doubtless  of  adoration  to 
many  a  trembling  peasant,  who  would  stop  for  a 
moment  from  his  ceaseless  toiling  over  never-ending 
plains  to  prostrate  himself  before  the  passage  of  the 
unknown  god. 

We  have  just  had  a  visit  from  His  Highness  the 
Jam  Sahib  of  Jamnagar,  better  known  to  Englishmen 
by  his  old  name  of  Ranjitsinhji.  He  arrived  on 
Sunday  evening  and  left  on  Tuesday  night,  three 
days — rest  day,  guest  day  and  departure  day — being  the 
traditional  limit  of  Oriental  hospitality,  except  in  the 
case  of  relatives.  He  was  received  by  the  Gaekwar  in 
the  great  hall  and  waved  his  hands,  filled  with  gold 
and  silver  coins,  round  his  host's  head  three  times  to 
invoke  a  blessing  of  wealth  and  prosperity;  he  then 
let  the  coins  fall  upon  the  ground  and  they  were 
presently  collected  by  the  servants  as  baksheesh. 

The  Jam  Sahib  owes  some  kind  of  fealty  to  the 
rulers  of  Baroda  and  had  come  to  arrange  a  question 
of  territory.  He  brought  with  him  nine  or  ten 
charming  men,  who  had  been  spending  last  summer 
with  him  at  Shillinglea  in  Sussex,  and  we  were  soon 
all  good  friends. 

The  rooms  next  to  mine  had  been  allotted  to  His 

211  14* 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

Highness,  and  before  dinner  I  called  upon  him  and 
reminded  him  that  we  had  met  before  at  Cambridge 
and  Hastings,  when  I  was  travelling  about  England 
with  Fatehsinhrao.  He  remembered  me  quite  well, 
and  was  exceedingly  kind  and  amiable.  His  manners 
are  beautiful,  very  quiet  and  dignified ;  a  singularly 
happy  combination  of  the  lofty  bearing  of  the  Eastern 
chieftain  and  the  polished  ease  of  the  English 
gentleman.  You  would  hardly  call  him  a  handsome 
man,  but  there  is  a  thoughtful  repose  upon  his 
intelligent  face  which  is  most  attractive.  The  eyes 
are  rather  melancholy  except  when  his  features  are 
animated,  as  they  often  are,  for  he  is  an  exceedingly 
good  talker  and  has  a  pleasant,  well-modulated  voice ; 
his  limbs  are  lithe  and  supple  and  all  his  movements 
are  extremely  graceful.  His  demeanour  towards  the 
Gaekwar  was  perfect,  and  indeed  his  courtesy  and 
consideration  to  us  all  were  remarkable.  He  plays  a 
very  good  game  of  billiards,  holding  his  cue  with 
lightness  and  ease  and  compiling  respectable  breaks 
without  the  smallest  effort  or  desire  to  display  his 
skill.  Altogether  he  made  a  very  favourable  impres- 
sion. 

During  his  visit  we  were  a  bachelor  party,  and  the 
ladies  did  not  appear  at  dinner.  The  Jam  Sahib  paid 
several  visits  to  the  Maharani  and  the  Princess  in 
their  apartments,  but  they  were  quite  private,  and  I 
was  not  invited.  They  told  me  afterwards  how  much 
they  liked  him.  All  the  party  were  great  on  games, 

212 


MARCH 

and  we  spent  a  good  deal  of  time  on  the  cricket 
ground  and  in  the  billiard-room.  There  were  about 
twenty  of  us  each  night  at  dinner,  and  the  conversa- 
tion was  very  bright  and  amusing. 

One  evening  the  Court  astrologer  came  to  dine, 
and  amused  us  afterwards  by  telling  our  fortunes. 
He  looked  rather  grave  over  my  hand  and  said  that 
I  should  have  four  more  happy  years ;  remembering 
my  rash  votive  offering  at  Fatehpur  Sikri,  I  told  him 
that  probably  there  was  a  marriage  waiting  for  me  at 
the  end  of  that  time ;  but  he  said,  No ;  I  had  had 
three  chances  and  should  not  have  any  more.  I 
promised  him  to  do  my  best  to  falsify  his  prediction, 
and  he  said  that  he  should  be  only  too  delighted  if  I 
did,  and  that  he  would  make  a  note  of  it  as  a 
curious  exception  to  the  rule.  In  future  I  shall  give 
astrology  a  wide  berth.  He  made  us  all  laugh  very 
much  over  Kaka's  hand,  saying  that  the  lines  of  head 
and  heart  ran  into  one  another  to  an  alarming  extent 
and  that  he  could  hardly  be  held  responsible  for  any 
mental  or  moral  aberrations.  Shivajirao  was  delighted 
at  this  and  informed  us  that  the  prophecy  was  already 
on  the  high  road  to  fulfilment,  as  he  had  noticed  Kaka 
at  dinner  vainly  trying  to  persuade  the  butler  to  fill 
his  glass  with  champagne,  and  then  trying  to  pour 
water  into  a  tumbler  which  he  had  just  turned  upside 
down. 

The  Jam  Sahib  drank  no  wine  and  smoked  very 
little.  He  was  greatly  interested  in  Fatehsinhrao's 

213 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

children,  two  dear  little  girls  called  Indomatti  and 
Lakshmi  Devi.  They  are  four  or  five  years  old  and 
are  great  pets  of  their  grandfather,  the  Gaekwar,  who 
usually  has  them  to  breakfast  once  a  week.  They 
come  with  their  English  governess  and  sit  at  the 
table  in  high  chairs,  with  bibs  worked  with  pictures  of 
nursery  rhymes  tied  round  their  necks.  Long  before  the 
meal  is  over  they  have  had  enough  of  it,  and  run  about 
the  room  playing  hide-and-seek  through  the  windows 
that  open  on  to  the  balcony  until  we  go  to  the 
billiard-room,  where  they  are  perfectly  happy,  crawl- 
ing about  on  the  table  to  the  great  discomfort  of  the 
cloth  or  playing  with  the  pyramid  balls  on  the  floor. 
They  go  for  a  ride  every  day  on  two  dear  little 
Shetland  ponies,  which  are  kept  for  them  in  the 
stables.  The  little  boy,  who  will  some  day  succeed  to 
the  throne,  is  quite  a  baby.  His  mother  is  devoted 
to  him  and  seldom  lets  him  out  of  her  sight ;  he  has 
an  English  nurse  and  Fatehsinhrao's  old  servant  is  his 
adoring  slave. 

It  is  a  touching  sight  to  see  the  old  man  carrying 
him  tenderly  in  his  arms,  thinking,  no  doubt,  of  the 
happy  days  when  his  old  master,  a  light-hearted 
impulsive  boy,  played  many  a  merry  trick  upon  him. 
What  a  handsome,  intelligent,  delightful  fellow  he 
was,  such  a  good  sportsman,  and  with  such  splendid 
health  and  strength.  His  untimely  death  will  ever  be 
mourned  by  the  many  friends  who  knew  and  loved 
him. 

214 


MARCH 

We  were  all  sorry  when  the  Jam  Sahib  went  away. 
Shivajirao  and  I  went  down  with  him  to  the  station, 
where  a  guard  of  honour  was  drawn  up  and  the  band 
was  playing.  Chairs  had  been  placed  on  the  platform, 
and  we  sat  and  chatted  for  some  time,  and  then  with 
many  kind  farewells  and  hopes  that  before  long  we 
should  come  to  see  him  in  Jamnagar,  he  went  to 
sleep  in  his  saloon  which  was  to  leave  by  the  mid- 
night train,  while  we  went  for  a  drive  in  the  divine 
moonlight  round  the  race-course  before  turning  in. 

On  the  way  home  we  passed  the  band  returning 
from  the  station ;  they  were  making  a  valiant  effort 
to  play  a  two-step  from  memory,  with  the  most 
ludicrous  effect,  making  us  shout  with  laughter ;  for 
some  time  after  I  had  gone  to  bed,  bits  of  that  weird 
tune  kept  coming  back  to  my  mind  and  a  fresh  fit 
of  merriment  banished  sleep. 

Since  our  return  from  Rewah,  the  Maharani  has 
been  very  busy  getting  up  a  charity  concert  in  aid  of 
the  Home  for  Widows  and  Orphans,  which  she  has 
founded.  Every  morning  we  have  spent  an  hour 
together  on  her  balcony,  arranging  the  programme 
and  all  the  details  of  the  performance,  while  she 
made  me  a  cup  of  delicious  coffee  as  she  alone  knows 
how  to  make  it. 

All  the  English  people  from  the  Camp  who  had 
any  musical  skill  had  promised  to  take  part  in  it, 
Sampatrao  had  undertaken  to  arrange  some  native 
tableaux,  and  it  was  to  be  held  in  the  theatre  and 

215 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

be  a  big  success.  All  went  well  at  first,  and  then  on 
the  very  day  before  the  performance  an  unexpected 
contretemps  arose  which  threatened  to  bring  all  our 
plans  to  grief.  The  Maharani,  in  her  zeal  for  a  big 
house,  had  arranged  to  throw  the  gallery  open  to 
the  general  public  at  a  rupee  for  admission.  Going 
down  in  the  afternoon  to  the  Gymkhana,  I  found  all 
my  artistes  in  revolt,  nothing  would  induce  them  to 
sing  before  such  an  audience ;  it  would  be  as  bad  as 
appearing  at  a  music-hall. 

After  giving  them  most  solemn  assurance  that 
nothing  of  the  kind  had  been  contemplated,  I  rushed 
back  to  the  palace  post-haste,  to  persuade  the 
Maharani  to  alter  her  arrangements,  not  an  easy  task, 
as  she  had  set  her  heart  on  them,  and  her  Highness 
can  be  very  firm  when  she  pleases.  It  took  all 
my  diplomacy  to  effect  a  compromise  and  all  my 
energy  to  make  the  secretary  issue  a  new  lot  of 
invitations  and  tickets  and  to  transform  the  gallery 
into  an  upper  circle.  We  were  hard  at  work  at  it 
all  the  next  day,  as  the  performers  insisted  on 
rehearsing  on  the  stage,  and  having  the  workmen 
cleared  out  of  the  theatre  while  they  did  so.  More- 
over, they  turned  up  very  late  for  the  show,  and  the 
band,  which  had  only  brought  one  overture  with 
them,  had  to  play  it  through  three  times.  However, 
in  the  end  it  went  off  very  well,  the  great  hit  of 
the  evening  being  some  Plantation  songs,  which  the 
Evans-Gordon  family  sang  to  the  accompaniment  of 

216 


MARCH 

the  General's  guitar.  And  when  I  went  on  to  the 
stage  at  the  end  to  announce  receipts  amounting  to 
five  hundred  pounds,  I  felt  that,  though  it  had  taken 
years  off  my  life,  it  was  well  worth  it.  A  marquee 
had  been  erected  outside  the  theatre,  in  which  the 
performers  had  an  excellent  supper,  sent  down  by  the 
Gaekwar,  and  they  drove  back  to  the  Camp  quite 
pleased  with  themselves. 

His  Highness  has  suddenly  conceived  a  passion  for 
hearing  discourses  on  religion,  and  a  most  saintly 
person  of  venerable  aspect  has  appeared  in  a  long 
yellow  robe,  accompanied  by  fifteen  disciples,  also  in 
yellow  robes,  but  not  so  venerable.  By  day  they 
have  driven  about  Baroda  in  a  kind  of  hay  waggon, 
drawn  by  camels  ;  by  night  the  saintly  person,  seated 
on  a  large  bolster,  has  held  forth  in  the  Durbar  hall 
at  great  length  with  much  gesticulation  to  the 
Maharaja,  seated  opposite  on  another  bolster  and 
listening  with  earnest  attention. 

Twice  the  lecture  has  been  given  out  of  doors  by 
torchlight,  the  sage  repeating  a  very  long  epic  poem 
and  the  disciples  marching  round  between  the 
different  books,  chanting  a  kind  of  Greek  chorus.  It 
went  on  for  hours  and  when  I  went  to  bed  they 
were  still  hard  at  it.  I  have  only  the  vaguest  idea 
what  it  was  all  about,  but  Kaka  told  me  that  the 
part  which  pleased  him  most  was  the  story  of  a  man 
whose  wife  changed  herself  by  night  into  a  bitch 
and  drank  up  all  the  oil  in  the  lamp. 

217 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

Although  it  seemed  rather  unfair  to  expect  me  to 
enter  into  competition  with  such  picturesque  theology, 
I  delivered  my  own  lecture  on  Religion  to  an 
audience  of  about  fifty  people,  who  assembled 
reluctantly  in  the  small  Durbar  hall  at  five  o'clock 
one  hot  afternoon.  The  acoustic  properties  of  the 
room  were  not  good,  and  when  the  Maharaja  com- 
plimented me  afterwards  on  my  efforts,  he  said  that 
he  should  no  doubt  have  enjoyed  it  still  more  if  he 
had  been  able  to  hear  what  I  said. 

A  few  days  later,  there  was  a  lecture  on  some 
secular  subject  in  the  large  Durbar  hall,  but  by  this 
time  Maharaja  had  had  enough  of  being  instructed, 
and,  as  he  was  not  feeling  very  well,  he  asked  them 
to  excuse  him  from  being  present.  After  dinner  he 
suggested  that  it  would  be  rather  fun  to  go  to  the 
gallery  and  see  how  they  were  getting  on.  We  all 
went  on  tip-toe,  and  when  he  got  near,  Maharaja 
went  down  on  his  hands  and  knees  and  crawled  along 
till  he  found  a  good  place  from  which  he  could  peep 
at  them,  like  some  mischievous  schoolboy.  He  almost 
gave  himself  away  when  some  pompous  person  got  up 
to  propose  a  vote  of  condolence  on  His  Highness' 
indisposition,  and  the  whole  thing  was  so  funny  that 
we  were  all  rolling  about  with  laughter  and  cramming 
our  handkerchiefs  into  our  mouths. 

During  Lent  it  seemed  rather  a  good  opportunity 
to  try  to  carry  out  the  Church's  rule  of  fasting.  I 

218 


MARCH 

had  hoped  to  do  this  without  exciting  observation, 
and  perhaps  I  might  have  done  so,  so  far  as  the 
Gaekwar  was  concerned  ;  but  I  had  reckoned  without 
my  hostess.  On  the  second  day,  the  Maharani,  whom 
nothing  escapes,  saw  that  I  was  eating  no  meat  and 
made  me  tell  her  the  reason.  After  that,  such 
delicious  special  dishes  were  sent  up  for  me  by  the 
chef  that  I  am  afraid  I  have  not  acquired  much 
merit  by  my  abstinence.  It  was  characteristic  of  the 
kindness  and  thoughtfulness  for  others  which  make  all 
her  actions  so  gracious. 

On  Easter  day  we  had  delightful  services  in  the 
church  with  a  good  many  communicants  in  the 
morning ;  and  I  felt  that  I  was  indeed  highly  favoured 
to  be  allowed  to  bear  witness  to  the  Faith  of  Christ 
in  this  land,  where  there  are  so  many  millions  to 
whom  the  Gospel  of  the  Resurrection  has  never  yet 
been  preached. 

The  weather  has  now  become  very  hot,  and  we 
dine  every  night  on  a  terrace  on  the  very  top  of  the 
palace,  right  under  the  stars.  A  lift  has  been  made 
in  the  angle  of  the  wall,  to  bring  the  food  up  hot 
from  the  kitchen,  and  the  table  is  very  prettily  lit 
up.  Lately,  we  have  been  having  mangoes,  of  which 
I  had  heard  so  much.  They  had  always  said  that 
until  you  ate  a  mango,  you  did  not  know  what  fruit 
meant.  They  were  certainly  quite  good  just  at  first, 
very  juicy  and  cool,  but  after  a  time  you  get  rather 
tired  of  the  flavour,  which  is  too  aromatic,  especially 

219 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

when  the  fruit    is    a    little    over-ripe.     It  cannot  rival 
the  flavour  of  a  nectarine  or  of  a  peach. 

It  was  on  this  terrace,  after  dinner,  that  I  said 
good-bye  to  the  Maharani  and  Indira  who  were  to 
make  the  journey  to  Ootacamund  by  train,  while  the 
Gaekwar  and  I  were  going  to  see  if  we  could  get 
there  by  motor-car.  They  were  both  looking  so 
lovely  in  the  soft  moonlight,  their  eyes  no  less  bright 
and  lustrous  than  the  jewels  which  flashed  beneath 
the  shaded  electric  globes,  that  it  was,  indeed,  hard 
to  tear  oneself  away.  "  Come  quickly  to  Ooty,"  was 
Indira's  parting  injunction,  and  I  felt  that  among  all 
the  wonderful  and  beautiful  sights  we  might  see  on 
the  way,  I  should  be  impatient  to  obey  it. 


220 


It-  ' 


APRIL 

"T^HE  next  morning  we  were  in  Bombay,  where  we 
spent  a  busy  day  in  the  shops,  and  at  four 
o'clock  we  started  for  the  drive  to  Khandala,  to 
which  place  the  servants  had  already  gone  ahead  with 
the  baggage.  It  took  us  some  time  to  get  free  from 
the  crowded  streets  and  tramways  of  Bombay,  and 
when  at  last  we  reached  the  open  country  there  were 
many  bullock-carts  on  the  road. 

There  is  a  singular  sameness  about  the  methods  of 
a  bullock-cart  on  being  passed  by  an  automobile.  All 
the  occupants  tumble  out  backwards  on  to  the  road,  and 
the  bullocks  then  plunge  with  the  cart  down  the 
nearest  embankment,  selecting,  when  they  can,  some 
place  from  which  it  seems  impossible  that  they  should 
ever  be  extricated.  The  buffalo  waits  until  he  sees 
which  side  you  are  going  to  take,  and  then  calmly 
takes  the  same.  Sheep,  pigs  and  goats  race  on  in  front 
until  their  breath  and  your  patience  are  exhausted. 
Dogs  boldly  charge  straight  at  the  car  and  emerge  by 
some  miracle  behind,  choking  out  a  dusty  bark  to 
prove  that  you.  have  not  frightened  them  a  bit. 

221 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

During  all  our  wanderings  we  had  only  one  fatal 
accident ;  poor  fellow !  how  gallantly  he  dashed  for- 
ward to  meet  his  doom  ! 

Leaving  the  hills  of  Matheran  on  the  left,  we  sped 
along  fairly  good  roads  arid  made  good  running  until 
we  reached  the  sixtieth  milestone,  where  we  had  a 
puncture.  Leaving  the  others  to  fit  on  a  new  tyre, 
the  Maharaja  and  I  walked  on  for  nearly  an  hour. 
The  sun  was  setting,  and  the  rampart  of  hills  in  front 
of  us  was  bathed  in  a  flood  of  purple  light.  At  last 
the  car  overtook  us.  Just  as  we  were  getting  in,  two 
boys  passed,  and  His  Highness,  who  loves  to  talk  to 
the  country-folk,  asked  them  several  questions,  laugh- 
ing heartily  at  their  answers  and  making  them  laugh, 
and  leaving  them  happy  with  a  handful  of  fruit  from 
our  tea-basket. 

Soon  we  reached  the  quaint  old-world  village  that 
lies  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  and  then  a  sharp  turn 
brought  us  on  to  the  beautifully  engineered  road, 
whose  steep  gradients  our  car  took  with  the  greatest 
ease.  The  last  glories  of  the  twilight,  which  in  India 
is  ever  too  short,  faded,  and  darkness  was  upon  us ;  so 
we  had  to  make  as  quickly  as  we  could  for  our  hotel, 
which  we  reached  safely. 

The  Gaekwar  had  left  Baroda  rather  suddenly,  and 
as  he  wished  to  see  several  of  his  ministers  to  settle 
details  of  administration  during  his  absence,  and 
Khandala  was  easily  accessible  from  Bombay,  we  stayed 
there  for  a  week.  Our  rooms  were  simply  and  plainly 

222 


APRIL 

furnished,  but  were  clean  and  comfortable ;  the  obliging 
manager  was  anxious  to  please  us  in  every  way,  and 
as  we  had  brought  our  own  cooks  we  had  a  sufficient 
variety  of  food.  The  views  on  all  sides  were  magnifi- 
cent, and  we  had  splendid  walks  every  morning,  going 
out  for  a  good  spin  in  the  car  in  the  afternoon. 

One  day  we  went  to  see  the  celebrated  Karli  caves. 
A  steep  climb  up  the  hill  brought  us  to  the  old 
Buddhist  monastery  and  temple  hewn  out  of  the  solid 
rock  of  the  hillside.  The  temple,  which  was  built 
about  1 60  B.C.,  consists  of  a  nave  and  two  aisles,  end- 
ing in  an  apse,  in  which  is  a  huge  block  of  stone 
surmounted  by  a  wooden  umbrella,  under  which  the 
records  were  kept.  There  are  thirty-six  pillars  carved 
at  the  top  with  men  and  women  riding  elephants. 
The  roof  has  wooden  beams  projecting  from  it  to 
prevent  any  echo,  and  reminded  the  Gaekwar  of  a 
wooden  church  which  we  had  seen  together  in  Norway. 
There  is  a  fine  doorway  to  the  temple  with  large 
sculptured  figures,  but  one  of  the  big  pillars  has  been 
removed  to  make  room  for  a  small  Hindu  temple, 
which  Her  Highness  came  to  visit  some  years  ago, 
when  she  gave  a  big  feast  to  four  thousand  people. 
The  monastery  consists  of  several  large  rooms  hewn 
out  of  the  rock,  with  small  cells  round  them ;  the 
marks  of  the  chisel  are  as  fresh  to-day  as  they  were 
two  thousand  years  ago.  The  place  was  filled  with 
the  soft  cooing  of  innumerable  doves.  Just  as  we 
were  leaving,  a  party  of  native  trippers  arrived  with  a 

223 


A   YEAR  WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 

baby  and  a  dog,  and  having  stared  about  them  in  a 
bewildered  way,  began  to  make  preparations  for  a 
picnic. 

We  had  only  brought  one  car  with  us,  and  the 
Gaekwar  thought  we  ought  to  have  another,  as  our 
servants  could  not  meet  us  at  every  stopping-place, 
and  it  was  necessary  to  carry  more  luggage  than  we 
had  originally  intended.  So  one  morning  we  ran  down 
to  Bombay  by  the  train,  passing  through  the  grand 
ravines  of  the  beautiful  Ghat  and  descending  two 
thousand  feet  in  the  first  sixteen  miles,  and  had  a  look 
at  a  50  h.p.  Mercedes,  seating  six  people,  which  would 
hold  everything  we  wanted  to  take  with  us.  In  the 
afternoon  we  took  a  trial  trip  in  her  back  to  Khan- 
dala,  and  she  behaved  so  well  that  the  Maharaja 
bought  her  at  once.  He  has  not  regretted  his 
purchase,  and  she  will  do  capitally  for  running  about 
in  the  districts  when  we  return  to  Baroda. 

A  few  days  later  we  set  out  again,  the  Maharaja 
in  his  own  car,  a  40  h.p.  Fiat,  with  his  A.D.C.  and 
the  doctor ;  myself  in  the  new  Mercedes  next  to  the 
Italian  chauffeur,  who  drives  like  Jehu  and  does  not 
speak  a  word  of  English,  so  that  when  the  pace  got 
too  hot  I  had  to  exhort  him  in  musical  terms,  as  : 
"  Piano,  piano  1 "  "  Allegro  ma  non  troppo  !  "  Behind 
us  were  Neale,  the  valet,  and  a  native  servant  reclin- 
ing luxuriously  on  the  luggage. 

The  forty  miles  of  road  to  Poona  were  soon 
covered,  and  having  had  tea  in  a  handsome  restaurant, 

224 


PRINCE    SHIVAJIRAO    GAEKWAR. 


APRIL 

we  went  to  a  toy-shop  for  presents  for  Indomatti  and 
Lakshmi  Devi.  At  five  o'clock  we  were  again  on  the 
road  to  Satara,  climbing  the  winding  ascent  which 
leads  to  the  long  tunnel  under  the  hill,  and  then 
plunging  down  on  the  other  side  with  a  glorious 
prospect  before  us  of  rolling  hills  and  distant 
mountains.  Passing  through  the  beautiful  town 
of  Wai  and  across  the  river,  we  soon  began  the 
long,  steep  climb  along  the  face  of  the  mountain  to 
Panchgani. 

Here  we  were  in  a  new  world,  the  rich  red  soil 
and  abundant  foliage  affording  a  pleasing  contrast  to 
the  arid  country  which  we  had  left  behind  us.  The 
sun  was  setting  in  a  blaze  of  glory,  and  above  our 
heads  was  the  silver  streak  of  the  new  moon.  Sending 
the  cars  ahead,  the  Maharaja  walked  with  me  the 
last  three  miles  into  Mahableshwar,  enjoying  the 
beauty  of  the  scene,  and  we  were  tempted  to  prolong 
our  ramble  so  far  that  the  shades  of  night  had  long 
fallen  before  we  reached  the  hotel,  where  our  anxious 
friends  were  just  setting  out  with  lanterns  in  search 
of  us. 

We  stayed  for  ten  days  at  Mahableshwar,  and  a 
delightful  place  it  is.  The  Bishop  of  Bombay  and 
Robert  Brinton  had  arrived  there  a  few  days  before  we 
did,  and  I  rode  with  them  every  morning,  and  in  the 
afternoon  we  made  an  excursion  to  some  charming 
spot,  with  exquisite  views  of  the  surrounding  country 
lying  far  beneath  pur  feet.  The  Gaekwar  had  also  a 

225  >5 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

number  of  friends  here,  and  gave  several  dinner- 
parties at  the  club,  where  the  cuisine  was  excellent. 

One  morning  when  leaving  the  hotel  I  saw  a  large 
cobra  cross  the  road  in  front  of  me  and  slip  into  a 
hole  in  the  mud  wall  of  a  cottage.  Calling  one  of 
the  servants,  I  told  him  what  I  had  seen  and  soon 
they  were  busy  hacking  the  wall  to  pieces  with  pick- 
axes. While  doing  this,  they  discovered  a  large 
quantity  of  honeycomb  in  the  wall,  after  which 
Master  Cobra  had  no  doubt  gone.  The  pickaxes 
were  thrown  aside,  and  a  dozen  black  arms  thrust  into 
the  hole  up  to  the  elbow  to  fetch  out  the  honey, 
the  cobra  being  quite  forgotten.  Luckily,  no  one  was 
bitten,  but  it  is  no  wonder  that  one  hears  of  large 
numbers  of  natives  dying  every  year  of  snake-bite 
when  they  are  so  careless  of  danger. 

On  the  last  day  of  our  stay  we  made  an  expedition 
to  Pratabgarh,  a  hill-fort  perched  on  a  precipitous 
rock,  which  was  the  stronghold  of  the  Gaekwar's  great 
ancestor,  Shivaji,  and  the  scene  of  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  events  in  Indian  history,  the  founding  of 
the  Mahratta  empire.  Shivaji  being  besieged  here  by 
the  Bijapur  forces  under  Afzal  Khan,  offered  to  make 
his  submission  on  condition  that  the  two  commanders 
should  meet  unarmed  between  the  two  armies. 
Under  his  white  muslin  robes,  Shivaji  wore  a  coat  of 
mail,  and  a  cruel  weapon  of  sharp  steel  hooks,  called  a 
Waghnakk,  "  the  tiger's  claws,"  was  attached  by  rings 
to  one  of  his  hands.  In  the  very  act  of  embracing 

226 


APRIL 

the  Khan,  Shivaji  drove  these  claws  into  him,  tore 
out  his  vitals,  and  dispatched  him  with  a  dagger, 
while  the  Mahratta  army  rushed  out  upon  the 
Bijapur  forces  and  cut  them  in  pieces. 

The  next  morning  we  made  an  early  start  for 
Kolhapur.  For  the  first  fifteen  miles  we  had  to 
retrace  our  steps  down  the  mountain,  and  then  the 
road  branched  off  to  Satara,  where  we  stayed  just 
long  enough  to  see  the  famous  Waghnakh  and  the 
quilted  coat  worn  by  Shivaji.  It  is  lined  with  chain- 
armour,  hidden  by  thick  folds  of  silk,  and  embroidered 
with  gold.  The  dagger,  which  is  very  handsome  and 
has  some  fine  diamonds,  rubies  and  emeralds  in  the 
handle,  is  eighteen  inches  long. 

Ten  miles  from  Kolhapur  we  were  met  by  the 
Maharaja,  who  had  come  out  in  his  car  to  welcome 
the  Gaekwar,  and  they  drove  together  into  the 
capital.  The  palace,  which  lies  just  outside  the  city, 
recalled  in  many  ways  the  Lakshmivilas  Palace  at 
Baroda,  both  of  them  having  been  designed  by  the 
same  architect,  though  it  is  much  smaller.  A  hand- 
some suite  of  apartments  had  been  allotted  to  the 
Gaekwar  on  the  first  floor,  opening  on  to  the 
corridor  round  the  fine  Durbar  hall,  which  is 
decorated  with  equal  taste  and  splendour. 

The  palace  is  delightfully  cool  and  airy,  and  is 
furnished  in  modern  style  and  brilliantly  lit  by 
electricity.  At  breakfast  we  were  joined  by  the 
Maharaja's  brother,  and  by  his  sons,  two  fine  boys  of 

227  15* 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

twelve  and  fourteen,  who  already  possess  something 
of  the  stately  bearing  of  their  father,  while  their 
sister  is  celebrated  for  her  good  horsemanship. 

The  Maharaja  of  Kolhapur,  who  also  traces  his 
descent  from  Shivaji,  is  a  man  of  magnificent 
physique.  The  long  white  robe  with  flowing  sleeves 
which  he  wears,  gives  him  a  somewhat  priestly  look, 
but  his  face  is  quite  boyish  and  very  good-natured. 
He  is  an  enthusiastic  lover  of  horses  and  dogs,  and  is 
followed  everywhere  by  two  or  three  devoted  fox- 
terriers. 

Not  the  least  enjoyable  event  of  our  stay  was  the 
visit  we  paid  to  the  stud  farm  and  to  the  kennels, 
where  we  saw  His  Highness's  own  pack  of  hounds, 
and  at  night  we  were  awakened  by  the  barking  of  a 
multitude  of  the  canine  tribe,  who  have  been  trained 
to  "  bay  the  moon  with  midnight  howl." 

In  the  afternoon,  His  Highness  took  us  for  a  drive 
in  the  city.  Passing  under  a  Nakkar  Khana,  or  music 
gallery,  we  found  ourselves  in  the  square  of  the  Old 
Palace,  in  which  several  elephants  were  stabled,  a 
conspicuous  object  being  an  elephant-car,  a  curious 
survival  from  old  times,  about  the  size  of  an 
omnibus. 

The  temple  of  Amba  Bai,  the  tutelary  deity  of 
Kolhapur,  occupies  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
precincts  of  the  palace.  It  has  a  great  bell  with  the 
inscription :  "  Ave  Maria  Gratiae  Plena  Dominus 
Tecum,"  which  must  have  been  obtained  from  the 

228 


APRIL 

Portuguese :  it  has  rung  the  "  Angelus "  here  daily  for 
the  last  two  hundred  years.  We  also  saw  the  Durbar 
hall  and  armoury,  and  the  Maharaja  was  not  content 
till  he  had  conducted  the  Gaekwar  up  a  narrow 
staircase  of  black  marble  to  the  top  of  the  Gate 
Tower,  from  which  we  had  a  lovely  view  of  the  city 
and  the  surrounding  country. 

Leaving  the  palace,  we  went  to  the  fine  temple  of 
Lakshmi.  Its  courts  were  thronged  by  an  enormous 
crowd,  and  echoed  the  thunders  of  the  great  drums 
which  were  beaten  during  our  visit.  At  the  Albert 
Edward  Hospital  we  were  received  by  the  house 
surgeon.  It  is  furnished  with  every  modern  appliance, 
and  the  operating  room  with  its  spotless  white  tiles 
has  a  most  business-like  appearance.  Indeed,  our 
friend  the  doctor  was  so  fascinated  by  it  that  he 
returned  there  the  next  day  to  undergo  a  dental 
operation. 

We  dined  on  the  terrace  in  the  moonlight,  the 
Maharaja  insisting  that  the  Gaekwar,  as  being  the 
chief  of  the  Mahratta  Princes,  should  sit  at  the  head 
of  the  table.  He  himself  sat  next  to  him,  and  ate  a 
large  number  of  chocolates  between  every  course 
from  a  great  dish  in  front  of  him.  He  has  a  very 
sweet  tooth  and  helped  himself  so  liberally  to  an 
almond  pudding  that,  when  he  pressed  me  to  have 
some,  I  could  not  resist  saying  "  Which  is  the 
pudding  ?  "  with  a  sly  glance  at  his  plate,  which 
made  him  laugh.  He  had  been  vainly  trying  to 

229 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

"  place  "  me  all  day,  but  after  that  we  got  on  very 
well  together.  He  drank  an  enormous  quantity  of 
water. 

In  the  morning  we  were  up  betimes  and  drove  to 
the  College,  where  we  were  received  by  the  Prin- 
cipal, an  Oxford  M.A.  in  Holy  Orders,  who  took  us 
over  the  building  and  invited  the  Gaekwar  to 
examine  some  of  the  students.  This  His  Highness 
did  with  pleasure,  and  was  delighted  to  find  what 
good  progress  they  were  making. 

From  the  College  we  went  on  to  the  High  School, 
which  we  found  in  an  equally  satisfactory  condition. 
Leaving  these  pleasant  labours,  we  drove  through  the 
country  to  the  Hill  Fort  of  Panhala  along  an 
excellent  road,  the  last  five  miles  of  which  are  rather 
steep. 

After  being  hospitably  received  at  the  Residency 
by  Major  Wodehouse  and  his  family,  we  explored  the 
ramparts  and  gateways  of  this  ancient  fortress,  which 
has  stood  so  many  sieges  and  seen  such  vicissitudes 
of  fortune.  Now  it  is  a  most  peaceful  spot,  and  just 
inside  the  triple  gate  through  which  the  British 
effected  an  entrance  sixty  years  since  there  blooms 
an  exquisite  garden,  in  which  the  cardamom  and 
other  tropical  plants  flourish  and  furnish  a  grateful 
shade.  The  sun  was  now  getting  so  hot  that  we 
were  obliged  to  make  our  way  to  the  Summer 
Palace,  where  breakfast  was  ready.  As  soon  as  the 
heat  had  somewhat  abated  we  descended  again  to 

230 


APRIL 

the  city  and  made  our  way  to  the  headquarters  of 
the  Maratha  Students'  Association,  gaily  decorated 
for  our  reception. 

After  some  speeches  and  recitations  from  the 
students,  an  address  was  read  and  presented  to  the 
Gaekwar  in  a  silver  casket,  in  which  special  reference 
was  made  to  his  efforts  to  prevent  the  evils  of  early 
marriages.  His  Highness  replied  at  some  length, 
dealing  chiefly  with  the  subject  of  education  in 
India,  especially  among  the  depressed  classes,  and 
concluded  with  the  words :  "  The  tide  of  progress  in 
this  country  is  slow,  though  I  believe  it  to  be  sure : 
we  must  be  content  to  sow  the  seed,  and  leave  it  to 
the  generations  yet  to  come  to  reap  the  harvest." 

After  inspecting  the  building  we  drove  to  the 
Girls'  School,  where  the  Gaekwar  was  persuaded  to 
speak  again,  which  he  did  in  the  vernacular,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  common  people  who  were  crowding 
the  verandah.  This  duty  performed,  we  drove  to  the 
Brahmapuri  Hill,  where  the  bodies  of  the  Brahmins 
are  burned,  and  received  the  customary  offerings 
from  the  priests. 

Our  dinner  on  the  terrace  that  evening  was  as 
rudely  interrupted  as  was  the  banquet  in  "  The 
Tempest."  Just  as  we  were  finishing  our  soup,  a 
violent  thunderstorm  burst  over  our  heads,  and  the 
Maharaja,  whose  philosophic  calm  nothing  can  disturb, 
led  the  way  indoors.  A  host  of  servants  swiftly  dis- 
mantled the  flooded  table.  Luckily,  the  storm  soon 

231 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

passed  away,  and  so  quickly  did  the  thirsty  ground 
absorb  the  rain  that  we  were  able  to  walk  after 
dinner  without  discomfort  to  a  large  meadow  adjoin- 
ing the  palace,  where  His  Highness  had  commanded  a 
circus  performance  in  the  open  air. 

I  have  never  seen  a  more  picturesque  spectacle.  In 
front  of  the  awning  under  which  we  sat  was  the 
arena,  lit  by  powerful  lamps,  and  beyond,  on  the 
banks  of  a  natural  amphitheatre,  the  white  garments 
of  ten  thousand  spectators  glistened  in  the  moonlight, 
with  here  and  there  the  ruddy  glare  of  a  torch.  In 
the  front  rank  of  the  audience,  but  in  no  way  distinct 
from  them,  sat  the  young  Princes,  who,  in  company 
with  a  dozen  small  cousins,  led  the  laughter  and 
applause ;  and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  performance  I 
was  much  struck  to  see  the  paternal  way  in  which 
the  Maharaja  moved  about  among  his  people,  with  a 
want  of  ceremony  on  his  part  and  with  a  quiet  unob- 
trusive respect  on  theirs  which  spoke  volumes  for  the 
good  relations  which  exist  between  ruler  and  subjects 
in  the  State  of  Kolhapur. 

The  next  day  was  comparatively  quiet  and  restful ; 
we  drove  thirty  miles  into  the  hills  to  see  some 
irrigation  works  which  are  in  progress,  and  to  picnic 
on  a  wooded  knoll.  The  well-cultivated  country 
through  which  we  passed,  and  the  happy  faces  of  the 
peasantry  as  they  pressed  forward  in  every  village 
with  offerings  of  fruit  and  flowers,  were  an  eloquent 
testimony  to  the  prosperity  of  the  State. 

232 


APRIL 

On  the  following  morning  we  bade  farewell  to  our 
kind  host,  the  Maharaja,  who  had  done  so  much  to 
make  us  comfortable  and  happy  during  our  stay  in 
his  delightful  palace,  and  set  off  for  Belgaum,  stopping 
about  ten  miles  from  the  city  to  rest  at  the  house  of 
His  Highness's  brother,  who  accompanied  the  Gaekwar 
to  the  boundary  of  the  Kolhapur  territory.  Soon 
after  ten  o'clock  we  arrived  at  Belgaum  and  break- 
fasted at  a  bungalow  which  had  been  reserved  for  us 
in  the  cantonment. 

In  the  afternoon  we  had  a  delightful  drive  through 
beautiful  scenery  and  along  a  first-rate  road  to 
Amboli,  where  we  stayed  at  the  travellers'  bungalow, 
from  which  we  had  a  lovely  view  "  over  the  hills  and 
far  away"  to  the  sea.  The  Chief  of  the  Savantwadi 
received  us  very  kindly,  and  asked  us  to  dine  with 
him  to  meet  his  son-in-law  and  the  Political  Agent 
and  Mrs.  Barrett.  As  it  was  the  first  time  that  he 
had  ever  sat  down  to  break  bread  with  Europeans,  we 
much  appreciated  the  compliment,  and  spent  a  very 
pleasant  evening. 

It  was  most  amusing  to  watch  his  efforts  to  manage 
his  knife  and  fork ;  we  kept  our  countenances  nobly, 
but  the  poor  man  got  very  little  to  eat.  He  came 
with  us  the  next  day  for  a  run  through  the  lovely 
hill-country  down  to  the  coast  at  Vingorlah,  and  the 
day  after  that  we  returned  to  Belgaum. 

The  following  morning  was  dull  and  threatened 
rain,  but  it  cleared  up  to  a  beautiful  afternoon,  and 

233 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

driving  throughout  the  day  was  cool  and  pleasant. 
Soon  after  leaving  Belgaum  one  of  the  cars  was 
delayed  for  an  hour  by  a  short  circuit ;  so  we  walked 
on,  and  presently  came  across  a  funny  old  fellow  from 
Kathiawar,  with  whom  the  Maharaja  had  an  amusing 
talk.  We  tried  to  persuade  him  that  we  came  from 
Bombay,  but  he  was  not  to  be  deceived. 

At  noon  we  reached  Hubli,  and,  after  breakfasting 
at  the  station,  went  to  the  Town  Hall,  where  they 
had  prepared  a  little  reception  for  us ;  and  at  four 
o'clock  left  for  Harihar,  eighty  miles  away.  But  alas ! 
our  good  fortune  now  temporarily  deserted  us.  At 
some  cross-roads  we  took  the  wrong  turning,  and  went 
sailing  on  without  discovering  our  mistake ;  gradually 
the  roads  got  worse  and  worse,  fords  had  to  be 
crossed,  and  all  signs  of  civilization  began  to  disappear. 

At  last  the  sun  declining  in  its  setting  on  our  left, 
warned  us  that  instead  of  going  south  we  were 
travelling  due  north.  Hastily  we  began  to  retrace 
our  steps,  but  by  the  time  we  had  found  our 
bearings  darkness  had  come  on,  and  we  were  still 
thirty  miles  from  our  destination.  To  add  to  our 
woes,  the  lamps  on  the  second  car  refused  to  work ;  so 
that  we  had  only  one  light  apiece.  We  therefore  toiled 
on  at  half  speed,  and  were  not  sorry  when  at  nearly 
ten  o'clock,  we  sighted  the  lights  of  Harihar.  The 
Mysore  Government  had  prepared  a  splendid  camp 
for  us,  and  an  excellent  dinner  soon  put  us  in  the 
mood  to  laugh  heartily  over  our  late  misfortunes. 

234 


APRIL 

At  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning  we  were  again 
upon  our  way.  The  roads  were  not  so  good  as  those 
over  which  we  had  been  travelling  on  British  terri- 
tory ;  but  the  Mysore  Government  had  made  the 
most  excellent  arrangements  for  our  comfort  and 
safety.  No  fear  now  of  losing  our  way;  every  few 
miles  a  floral  wreath  was  hanging  across  the  road,  at 
every  turn  a  watchman  stood  with  guiding  arm  out- 
stretched, in  every  village  policemen  kept  a  clear  path 
through  the  orderly  crowd,  a  "  caution "  board 
crowned  the  top  of  every  dangerous  hill ;  and  the 
bullock-cart,  that  b&te  noire  of  the  motorist  in  India, 
made  the  heart  grow  fonder  by  its  absence. 

The  scenery  now  became  more  grand,  and  on 
either  side  great  blocks  of  rock  lay  in  tremendous 
heaps,  as  if  hurled  there  by  giant  hands.  Just  before 
Hariyur  is  reached,  a  lonely  road  leads  to  a  wonderful 
reservoir  at  Mari  Kanave,  ten  miles  away  in  the 
mountains.  This  we  were  anxious  to  see,  and  though 
it  took  us  so  far  out  of  our  way  it  was  well  worth 
the  trouble.  The  obliging  engineer  who  met  us  said 
it  took  ten  years  to  complete,  and  that  the  tank  is 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  world.  The  lofty  dam 
springs  up  sheer  from  the  river  bed,  now  green  with 
rushes,  and  on  either  side,  high  above  the  valley, 
stands  an  elegant  pavilion  of  grey  granite.  In  one 
of  these,  fanned  by  the  cool  breeze  from  the  lake,  we 
ate  our  frugal  lunch. 

The  run  to  Tumkur,  where  tea  was  ready  for  us, 

235 


A   YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

was  too  hot  to  be  pleasant,  though  we  passed  through 
beautiful  tropical  scenery;  but  the  fifty-mile  drive 
from  Tumkur  to  Bangalore,  through  fair  avenues  of 
trees,  with  fine  mountains  in  the  distance,  all  glowing 
in  the  sunset,  was  the  most  beautiful  part  of  our 
whole  tour.  At  sev$n  o'clock  we  entered  the  park, 
and  drew  up  before  the  imposing  palace  of  the 
Maharaja,  which,  in  his  absence,  he  had  most  kindly 
put  at  our  disposal. 

The  next  morning  we  were  able  to  see  its  beauties 
at  greater  leisure.  They  will,  no  doubt,  greatly 
improve  with  age,  when  weather  and  creeping  plants 
have  softened  the  somewhat  hard  contour.  The 
finest  feature  of  the  place  is  the  magnificent  room 
over  the  Durbar  hall,  approached  by  a  handsome 
staircase  and  decorated  and  furnished  with  great 
taste.  In  this  room,  I  found  after  dinner,  to  my 
joy,  two  splendid  pianos. 

After  a  quiet  day  spent  in  driving  round  the  sights 
of  Bangalore,  which  is  a  beautiful  town,  we  rose 
at  daybreak  to  enter  upon  the  last  stage  of  our 
journey.  The  cars  were  running  splendidly,  and  we 
flew  through  country  which  became  lovelier  at 
every  mile,  until  we  reached  Seringapatam,  where  we 
stayed  for  nearly  two  hours,  tracing  the  limits  of  the 
Fort  and  admiring  the  graceful  outlines  of  the  Darya 
Daulat  Palace  and  of  Tippoo  Sultan's  tomb.  At 
Mysore  we  stopped  for  a  few  minutes  to  see  the 
wonderful  new  palace  that  is  being  built,  in  which 

236 


APRIL 

there  are  some  ancient  silver  and  ivory  doors  of  great 
beauty,  and  then  pushed  on  to  Nanjangud,  where 
breakfast  was  ready.  And  what  a  breakfast  it  was ! 
all  the  fruits  and  dainties  of  the  land,  tray  after  tray, 
till  the  floor  was  almost  covered  with  them,  besides 
flowers  and  scents  and  unguents  without  measure ; 
and  it  was  all  offered  with  such  smiling  grace  by  the 
Mysore  servants,  who  were  delighted  at  receiving  a 
visit  from  the  Gaekwar,  that  we  were  all  charmed. 

Hearing  that  the  temple  of  Jagannath,  where  there 
is  a  great  car  festival  every  year,  was  close  at  hand, 
we  tore  ourselves  away  from  the  delightful  bungalow 
on  the  river  bank,  a  paradise  for  fishermen,  and  went 
to  see  it.  It  is  an  imposing  pile  of  great  length,  with 
a  high  tower,  and  the  carving  is  very  varied  and 
quaint.  There  were  six  or  seven  cars,  of  black  wood 
covered  with  carving,  and  with  huge  heavy  wheels, 
gradually  increasing  in  size.  Their  whole  aspect  was 
most  funereal,  and  to  see  them  standing  side  by  side 
with  our  own  cars,  so  neat  and  bright  and  swift,  was 
one  of  the  most  curious  contrasts  of  the  ancient  with 
the  modern  that  I  have  seen.  Luckily,  the  analogy 
was  not  sufficiently  obvious  to  awaken  sacrificial 
instincts  in  any  of  the  inhabitants. 

We  had  now  to  go  at  our  best  speed  to  make  up 
for  lost  time,  and  soon  the  Nilgiris  were  in  sight ; 
but  many  a  hill  had  to  be  climbed  and  many  a 
wooded  glade  crossed  before  we  reached  the  foot  of 
the  actual  mountain.  We  had  been  told  in  Bangalore 

237 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

that  it  would  be  impossible  to  get  our  long  cars 
round  the  sharp  turns  of  the  steep  ascent,  and 
carriages  and  riding  horses  had  been  ordered  to  meet 
us,  but  our  drivers  were  confident  of  victory,  and 
after  one  or  two  difficulties  on  the  lower  slopes  they 
took  our  party  up  in  great  triumph.  Towards  even- 
ing we  were  in  the  Maharaja's  mountain  home,  a 
delightful  country  house  standing  among  the  woods 
on  rising  ground  at  the  end  of  the  lake. 


238 


MAY 

A  MONG  the  fair  and  delightful  places  of  the  earth, 
**•  Ootacamund,  or  Ooty  to  use  its  more  familiar 
pet-name,  must  be  given  a  high  place.  High  up  in 
the  mountains,  eight  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  it 
lies  in  a  sheltered  valley  surrounded  by  lofty  hills. 
During  the  summer  months  it  is  the  seat  of  the 
Madras  Government  and  the  centre  of  the  official 
and  social  life  of  the  Presidency. 

At  the  foot  of  a  hill,  which  rises  till  it  culminates 
in  the  peak  of  Dodabeta,  lies  Government  House ; 
behind  are  the  large  chincona  plantations,  from  which 
the  bark  of  the  trees  is  gradually  stripped  to  be 
worked  up  into  quinine ;  before  it  are  the  Botanical 
Gardens,  beautifully  laid  out  in  broad  terraces,  lawns 
and  drives,  in  which  rare  trees  and  shrubs  and  lovely 
flowers  from  all  parts  of  the  world  delight  the  eye 
by  their  splendour  and  fill  the  air  with  their  perfume. 
Charming  roads,  passing  through  meadows  where 
masses  of  arum  lilies  and  "  red-hot  pokers "  grow 
wild,  lead  to  the  hill,  on  which  stand  the  church, 
post  office,  library  and  the  principal  shops,  and  then 

239 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

branch  off  in  every  direction  to  the  pretty  villas,  each 
in  its  beautiful  garden,  which  cluster  on  the  hill- 
side. 

Everywhere  there  are  flowers,  and  the  very  hedges 
are  composed  of  climbing  geranium,  heliotrope,  sweet- 
briar  and  rhododendron  and  the  houses  are  covered 
with  creepers  of  gorgeous  hues.  Down  in  the  valley, 
past  the  native  bazaar,  is  the  Hobart  Park,  where  the 
cricket  matches  are  played,  round  which  the  race- 
course runs,  with  the  pavilion  and  grounds  of  the 
Gymkhana  at  the  further  end.  Beyond  this  is  the 
pleasant  road  which  for  six  miles  winds  round  the 
shores  of  the  beautiful  lake ;  and,  at  the  end  of  the 
lake,  commanding  a  lovely  view  of  its  whole  extent 
and  of  the  mountains  rising  in  the  distance,  is 
"  Woodstock,"  the  charming  estate  which  the  Gaekwar 
bought  some  years  ago  and  on  which  he  built  the 
comfortable  modern  house  in  which  he  spends  a  couple 
of  months  at  rare  intervals. 

Here  he  lives  with  the  Maharani  and  the  Princess, 
and,  though  the  ladies  still  have  their  separate  apart- 
ments with  a  private  entrance  from  the  garden,  they 
make  frequent  use  of  the  common  living  rooms  in 
the  centre  of  the  building,  and  the  life  resembles 
that  in  a  country  house  in  England  far  more  than  it 
does  in  Baroda. 

The  rooms  are  all  of  moderate  size,  and  on  the 
side  facing  the  lake  the  windows  open  on  to  a 
spacious  terrace,  beneath  which  is  a  long  covered 

240 


MAY 

walk  running  along  the  whole  length  of  the  house, 
which  can  be  used  for  exercise  during  the  rains. 

The  gardens  are  lovely,  with  sloping  lawns  and 
shady  trees,  and,  on  a  level  eminence  rising  above  the 
water,  are  four  perfect  gravel  courts  for  lawn-tennis, 
with  a  pretty  summer-house  adjoining  them.  The 
flowers  are  magnificent,  and  there  is  a  grand  show  of 
dahlias. 

In  one  corner  of  the  garden,  a  subway  leads  under 
the  road  to  Jaising  Villa,  another  house  almost  as 
large  as  "  Woodstock,"  where  Shivajirao,  Sampatrao 
and  I  have  our  bachelor  quarters.  Both  houses  have 
excellent  stabling,  and  a  large  number  of  horses  and 
carriages  have  been  brought  from  Baroda. 

The  rest  of  the  suite,  which  consists  of  close  on  a 
hundred  people,  are  lodged  in  other  bungalows  near 
at  hand  or  in  the  hotels  in  the  town,  and  the 
servants  have  rooms  over  the  stables ;  at  night  the 
whole  place  is  brilliantly  illuminated  by  electricity 
from  a  private  installation. 

Behind  the  house  are  large  groves  of  eucalyptus, 
covered  with  leaves  of  delicate  silvery  green,  through 
which  wooded  paths  and  excellent  roads  lead  up  to 
the  downs  which  then  stretch  away  for  miles.  The 
Nizam  of  Hyderabad  and  the  Maharaja  of  Mysore 
have  also  large  estates  close  at  hand,  but  neither  of 
them  can  rival  that  of  the  Gaekwar  for  beauty  or  for 
excellence  of  position. 

Among  the  hundreds  of  charming  houses  that  there 

241  16 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

are  in  Ooty  the  Gaekwar's  stands  supreme,  and  if  the 
Maharaja  lived  here  permanently  no  more  care  could 
be  bestowed  upon  it.  The  gardens  ablaze  with 
flowers,  the  closely  cropped  lawns,  the  smooth  gravel 
drives  and  walks,  all  give  the  impression  of  a  terrestrial 
paradise,  from  which  the  owner  was  seldom  far  away ; 
and  yet  till  a  month  ago  I  had  never  heard  of  its 
existence. 

Ooty  has  this  great  advantage  over  all  other  Indian 
hill-stations  that  you  can  bring  your  motor-car  here 
and  drive  as  far  as  you  like  in  almost  any  direction, 
making  long  excursions  of  over  a  hundred  miles  with- 
out covering  the  same  ground  twice.  Beautiful  roads 
have  been  made  over  the  downs,  and  run  all  round 
the  vast  plateau  and  down  into  the  valleys,  affording 
exquisite  views  of  scenery  as  fine  as  any  in  India, 
except  in  Kashmir. 

From  hills  covered  with  heather  you  may  skirt 
pretty  woods,  sholas  as  they  are  here  called,  and  pass 
through  country  covered  with  groves  of  palm  trees, 
full  of  splendid  tree-ferns,  and  overshadowed  by  large 
trees  of  scarlet  rhododendron  into  valleys  in  which 
tea  and  coffee  plantations  are  carefully  cultivated  and 
orange  trees  covered  with  golden  fruit  grow  wild. 
Besides  the  carriages  we  have  three  cars  with  us,  so 
that  however  much  there  may  be  going  on  we  are 
never  at  a  loss  for  means  of  getting  about. 

Wherever  he  may  be  the  Gaekwar  makes  very  little 
change  in  his  habits.  He  has,  of  course,  considerably 

242 


MAY 

more  time  at  his  disposal  here  and  is  able  to  hunt 
three  days  a  week  and  to  play  tennis  every  day,  but 
his  reading  and  walking  and  quiet  domestic  pleasures 
go  on  as  usual,  and  he  devotes  a  good  deal  of  time 
to  botany  and  to  the  study  of  natural  history,  and 
may  often  be  found  with  Dr.  Jadhav  in  a  quiet  corner 
of  the  garden  examining  the  leaves  of  a  plant  under 
the  microscope. 

"  Woodstock  "  possesses  an  excellent  library  on  such 
subjects,  and  newspapers  and  reviews  are  spread  about 
in  profusion.  When  nothing  more  exciting  is  happen- 
ing, it  is  delightful  to  spend  a  quiet  evening  in  the 
peaceful  intimacy  of  his  home  circle,  playing  chess 
with  the  Maharani  or  draughts  with  Indira  until  the 
Gaekwar  is  ready  for  his  rubber,  and  I  feel  even  more 
one  of  the  family  than  I  do  in  Baroda. 

But  if  the  Gaekwar  is  conservative  in  his  habits,  the 
Maharani  is  still  more  so.  Except  for  the  change  of 
scene,  there  is  little  variation  in  her  placid  days. 
Sometimes  when  I  am  passing  her  windows  in  the 
morning  Mrs.  Burrows  calls  me  in,  and  I  find  Her 
Highness  sitting  on  the  ground  before  some  new 
musical  instrument  which  the  grave  Mohammedan 
artist  has  brought  for  her  instruction  and  which  she 
wishes  me  to  hear. 

Although  the  Maharani  is  herself  wonderfully  free 
from  conventional  prejudice,  she  is  thoughtful  and 
considerate  for  the  feelings  of  the  weaker  brethren ; 
and  while  she  is  living  in  the  territory  of  the 

243  i 6* 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

Maharaja  of  Mysore,  whose  women  folk  are  passion- 
ately attached  to  the  customs  of  the  olden  time,  she 
denies  herself  a  good  deal  of  freedom  of  action  which 
she  would  use  without  hesitation  at  home.  For  this 
reason  Indiraraja  does  not  hunt  here,  much  as  she 
would  like  to  do  so,  and  very  seldom  rides.  Every 
afternoon  she  goes  for  a  long  walk  attended  by  half 
a  dozen  girl  friends  and  by  the  faithful  Hingujirao, 
who  marches  along  with  them  as  escort,  carrying  his 
enormous  stick  and  stopping  every  now  and  then  to 
take  off  his  puggari  and  wipe  his  bald  head  with  a 
huge  red  silk  handkerchief.  Sometimes  it  is  my 
coveted  privilege  to  join  the  party,  when  it  is  under- 
stood that  Indira  and  I  prefer  to  enjoy  one  another's 
society  without  distraction  from  the  others.  So  we 
go  ahead  at  a  good  pace,  while  Hingujirao  marshals 
his  bevy  of  young  ladies  at  a  discreet  distance  behind. 
I  thought  that  perhaps  this  curtailment  of  liberty 
might  be  irksome  to  Indira,  and  that  she  would  be 
glad  to  get  back  to  Baroda ;  but  she  likes  this  place 
so  much  that  she  is  quite  ready  to  give  up  a  good 
deal  to  be  here.  "  Oh,"  she  said,  clasping  her  hands 
and  stopping  to  embrace  it  all  in  a  rapturous  glance, 
"  Oh,  I  love  Ooty !  " 

Shivajirao  also  likes  Ooty  very  much,  and  is  having 
a  grand  time  here.  Besides  the  hunting  which  he 
loves,  he  gets  some  cricket,  and  a  great  deal  of  tennis, 
and  though  Turnbull  is  here  his  duties  just  at 
present  are  merely  nominal,  and  he  spends  his  time 

244 


MAY 

very  happily  in  the  hunting-field  and  the  ball-room. 
Shivajirao  has  practically  annexed  the  new  "  Mercedes  " 
car  and  is  working  it  pretty  hard. 

There  are  a  number  of  Zemindars  staying  in  Ooty, 
young  Indians  of  wealth  and  position,  who  are  here 
with  a  tutor  on  a  kind  of  Long  Vacation  reading 
party,  and  as  Shivajirao  knows  them  all  he  has  no  lack  of 
friends.  Besides  annexing  the  car,  he  has  also  annexed 
my  valuable  Sanka,  whose  cleverness  and  fidelity  I  had 
praised  too  highly.  I  find  that  in  India,  if  you  have 
come  across  a  good  thing,  the  best  plan  is  to  say  very 
little  about  it.  The  same  fate  overtook  my  beautiful 
Arab  horse  Dilrubah.  One  morning  when  I  was  riding 
him  with  the  Maharaja,  I  praised  him  up  to  the 
skies.  "  Yes,"  said  the  Maharaja  reflectively,  "  he  is 
one  of  the  best  horses  in  the  stables."  A  few  days 
later  the  coachman  told  me  that  he  had  been  placed 
on  His  Highness'  list,  and  I  rode  him  no  more. 

In  place  of  Sanka  I  now  have  Yeshwant,  the  boy 
who  massages  so  well.  He  is  not  at  all  bad,  but  he 
is  a  bit  lazy,  and  speaks  very  little  English,  though  he 
is  picking  it  up  gradually.  So  I,  who  am  equally 
lazy,  have  had  to  learn  a  little  Hindustani.  This  does 
not  always  come  off ;  one  day  when  we  were  at 
Khandala,  my  bath  was  so  hot  that  I  could  not  get 
into  it,  so  I  called  out  "  Kaldar  pani"  which  means 
"  cold  water."  Off  went  Yeshwant  and  presently 
returned  with  a  man  bearing  a  large  jar  of  water 
about  twice  as  hot  as  the  first.  I  got  rather  impatient 

245 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

and  called  out  "  Kaldar  pani,  you  idiot,"  which  sent 
them  flying.  They  were  away  a  long  time,  and  when 
they  did  come,  not  only  was  the  second  man  blister- 
ing his  fingers  with  a  jar  of  water  perfectly  boiling, 
but  a  third  man  was  running  along  beside  him,  hold- 
ing a  small  brazier  of  charcoal  under  the  jar  to  keep 
it  boiling.  They  thought  I  meant  the  water  was 
cold  !  If  I  had  told  them  to  bring  some  cold  water 
it  would  have  been  all  right. 

Yeshwant  amuses  me  greatly.  When  we  arrived  at 
Ooty,  I  made  him  unpack  my  luggage  in  my  presence 
to  see  what  I  had  got.  When  we  came  to  the  last 
portmanteau,  he  was  most  unwilling  to  unstrap  it, 
pretending  that  he  had  lost  the  key,  and  making  a  lot 
of  ridiculous  excuses.  At  last  it  was  opened,  and 
proved  to  be  half  full  of  whisky  bottles.  I  was 
furious,  but  all  he  could  do  was  to  wring  his  hands, 
crying,  "  Mahableshwar,  Mahableshwar."  Finally,  he 
produced  a  corkscrew  and  opened  one  of  the  bottles 
out  of  which  he  poured  a  sticky  liquid ;  it  was  some 
of  the  honey  which  they  found  in  the  wall  when 
hunting  for  the  cobra.  He  seemed  to  think  that  he 
was  now  quite  exonerated,  and  that  it  was  the  most 
natural  thing  in  the  world  that  he  should  carry  his 
beastly  bottles  half  over  India  in  my  best  trunk. 

Luckily  none  of  them  was  broken ;  however,  a  pair 
of  walking  shoes  had  got  so  crushed  that  they 
pinched  my  toes,  so  I  told  him  to  take  them  to  the 
shoemaker  and  have  them  mended.  This  he  was  very 

246 


MAY 

reluctant  to  do,  and  at  last  burst  into  a  kind  of  war- 
dance,  footing  it  so  nimbly  about  the  room  that  I 
nearly  died  with  laughter.  He  wanted  to  show  me 
how  nice  he  would  look  in  the  shoes  if  I  gave  them 
to  him. 

We  have  just  been  celebrating  the  thirty-fourth 
anniversary  of  the  Gaekwar's  accession  to  the  throne, 
which  came  about  in  the  most  romantic  way.  His 
immediate  predecessor,  Mulhar  Rao,  was  accused  of 
attempting  to  kill  the  English  Resident  by  mixing 
powdered  diamonds  with  his  food.  Serjeant 
Ballantyne  was  engaged  to  defend  him,  for  which  he 
received  ten  thousand  pounds,  the  largest  fee  that 
had  up  to  that  time  been  paid  to  an  English 
advocate.  He  was  acquitted  on  the  capital  charge, 
but  was  deposed  on  grounds  of  maladministration. 
As  there  was  no  direct  heir  to  the  throne,  it  was 
determined  to  adopt  one,  and  search  was  made  for  a 
suitable  member  of  the  Royal  House. 

Not  far  from  the  source  of  the  sacred  river 
Godavery,  there  is  a  town  called  Nasik,  one  of  the 
most  holy  places  of  the  Hindus.  Thirteen  hundred 
families  of  Brahmins  are  settled  there,  and  all  Hindus 
of  rank  on  visiting  it  leave  a  record  of  their  pilgrimage 
with  their  Upadhya,  or  family  priest — for  every  noble 
family  has  such  a  priest  at  each  celebrated  place  of 
pilgrimage.  In  this  record  are  entered  the  names  of 
the  visitor's  ancestors,  and  thus  the  pedigree  of  every 

247 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

Hindu  chief  is  to  be  found  in  the  keeping  of  these 
Upadhyas.  The  record  of  the  Gaekwar  family  was 
searched,  and  proofs  were  found  that  legitimate 
descendants  of  the  third  Gaekwar's  brother  were  in 
existence. 

Further  search  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  three 
brothers,  leading  the  lives  of  the  ordinary  Indian 
peasant,  tilling  the  ground  and  herding  the  oxen  like 
the  founder  of  the  Gaekwar  House,  whose  family 
name  signifies  "  Cow-herd."  With  their  near  relatives 
they  were  carried  to  Baroda,  and  as  the  eldest  boy 
was  too  old  to  receive  fresh  impressions,  the  second 
brother,  who  showed  promise  of  great  intelligence, 
was  placed  upon  the  gadi  and  is  now  His  Highness 
Maharaja  Sir  Sayaji  Rao  III.,  G. C.S.I.,  whose  style  and 
titles  of  honour  would  fill  one  of  these  pages.  Under 
the  guidance  of  a  most  able  tutor,  his  latent  powers 
quickly  developed,  and  when  his  minority  came  to  an 
end  he  was  more  than  fully  equipped  to  occupy  the 
proud  position  which  he  still  so  greatly  adorns. 

The  celebration  was  quite  private,  only  those  in 
immediate  attendance  on  His  Highness  being  invited, 
and  we  spent  a  very  pleasant  afternoon,  playing 
tennis,  listening  to  speeches  and  recitations  and 
drinking  tea.  My  share  in  the  entertainment  was  to 
recite  an  ode,  which  they  had  asked  me  to  write  in 
honour  of  the  occasion.  It  was  with  great  diffidence 
that  I  attempted  the  part  of  Poet-laureate  ;  however, 
I  did  my  best. 

248 


MAY 

My  verses,  I  need  hardly  say,  were  very  well  received. 
One  of  the  "  courtiers,"  anxious  to  add  his  spoonful 
of  "  butter,"  said  that  he  had  only  one  fault  to  find 
with  them ;  that  he  hated  any  kind  of  exaggeration,  and 
that  he  thought  I  was  guilty  of  this  when  I  spoke 
of  the  hospital  as  being  "  by  thousands  blessed." 
The  doctor  came  to  my  support  with  statistics  as  to 
the  number  of  patients  (in  and  out)  who  had  passed 
through  since  it  was  opened ;  and  our  crafty  friend 
frankly  admitted  that  his  criticism  was  unjust  and 
that  if  he  found  fault  with  me  at  all,  it  would  be 
for  not  praising  His  Highness  enough. 

Meanwhile  Maharaja's  face  wore  the  inscrutable 
expression  of  one  who  knows  how  to  differentiate  to 
a  scruple  between  panegyric,  encomium  and  eulogy. 
In  the  evening  I  had  to  repeat  my  verses  for  the 
benefit  of  Maharani  and  Indira,  as  we  sat  on  the 
hearthrug  by  the  wood  fire,  for  the  evenings  here 
are  sometimes  quite  chilly.  Her  Highness  was  quite 
pleased  and  chaffed  both  me  and  Maharaja  very 
amusingly.  Indira  did  not  say  much,  but  the  gracious 
look  of  approval  which  she  shot  at  me  from  her 
bright  eyes  when  she  heard  the  lines  about  herself, 
far  more  than  rewarded  me  for  any  trouble  which 
this  little  composition  had  given  me.  Originally  it 
consisted  of  only  twenty  verses,  as  Maharani  quickly 
discovered,  but  they  were  all  unanimous  that  there 
ought  to  be  one  more  for  luck,  so  it  was  written. 


249 


JUNE 

T  TOWEVER  sadly  the  Englishman  may  take  his 
*  *  pleasures  at  home,  he  certainly  manages  to  enjoy 
himself  thoroughly  in  India.  Just  now  the  papers  are 
full  of  alarming  reports  of  the  "  unrest "  which  is 
said  to  be  spreading  over  our  vast  Dependency,  and 
occasionally  it  affords  a  subject  for  conversation  and 
speculation.  Apart  from  this,  you  would  never  think 
that  it  had  any  existence,  for  never,  surely,  did  the 
rulers  of  an  alien  and  conquered  race  undertake  their 
duties  with  such  a  light  heart  as  they  do  here. 

Anxiety  is  not  fashionable  ;  outwardly,  at  least,  the 
official  life  of  India  is  gay  enough,  and  there  is  here 
a  constant  round  of  recreation  and  amusement,  which 
ought  to  satisfy  the  most  ardent  votary  of  pleasure. 
Everywhere  you  meet  with  bright  and  happy  faces,  and 
no  one  seems  to  have  a  care  in  the  world.  The  natives 
of  India  are  naturally  fond  of  sport,  and  with  the 
facility  that  is  inherent  in  their  nature,  they  have 
adapted  themselves  readily  enough  to  the  Western 
idea  of  enjoyment  which  has  been  introduced  among 
them. 

250 


JUNE 

The  great  attraction  of  Ooty  is  the  hunting. 
The  downs,  which  extend  westward  for  many  miles, 
are  very  much  like  our  South  Downs  at  home, 
though  steeper  and  more  broken.  There  are  no  foxes, 
but  jackals  abound  in  the  numerous  wooded  sholas 
with  which  they  are  covered,  and  afford  excellent 
sport.  There  is  no  lack  of  members  of  the  Hunt, 
English  and  native,  and  the  pack  of  hounds,  the 
constant  care  of  an  able  and  energetic  M.F.H.,  would 
compare  favourably  with  any  in  England. 

Three  days  a  week  is  the  usual  allowance,  and 
whatever  the  weather  may  be  there  is  always  a  good 
muster.  Long  before  it  is  light,  we  are  out  of  bed, 
and  while  we  are  fortifying  ourselves  for  the  fatigues 
of  the  day  with  a  good  breakfast,  we  can  see  the  dim 
forms  of  horses  and  men,  with  a  large  sprinkling  of 
the  fair  sex,  passing  in  a  constant  stream  along  the 
shores  of  the  lake  on  their  way  to  the  meet,  which  is 
usually  many  miles  away  in  the  hills.  Those,  like 
ourselves,  who  go  in  their  motor-cars,  can  afford  an 
extra  hour  in  bed,  but  I  think  that  the  majority  who 
have  only  their  horses  to  depend  upon,  have  the  best 
of  it. 

The  long  leisurely  ride  in  the  dawning  light  must 
be  delightful,  and,  as  I  see  our  own  horses  being  led  past 
our  windows  by  the  grooms  while  I  am  dressing,  it 
makes  me  long  to  be  with  them  myself.  However,  when 
we  do  arrive  on  the  scene  we  find  them  all  the  fresher, 
very  keen  to  take  their  place  in  the  cavalcade,  which 

251 


A   YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

has  just  begun  to  move  away.  The  Governor  of 
Madras  is  there  with  his  daughters,  who  sit  astride 
their  horses  in  smart  coats  and  the  latest  adaptation 
of  masculine  attire,  and  their  example  is  generally 
followed  by  a  large  number  of  fresh,  healthy-looking 
English  girls,  who  never  miss  a  meet  an^l  would  scorn 
to  turn  back  before  the  finish,  however  far  from 
home  it  may  take  them. 

Many  of  the  men  are  in  pink,  including  the 
Maharaja  of  Mysore,  the  Gaekwar  and  Shivajirao,  with 
his  bosom  friend,  the  young  Maharaja  of  Indore,  who 
retain  their  national  head-dress.  How  they  manage  to 
keep  so  many  yards  of  muslin  securely  on  their  heads 
during  a  long  day's  hunting  passes  my  understanding, 
and  though  I  have  often  traced  Shivajirao's  progress 
through  a  wood  by  minute  fragments  of  his  sky-blue 
jetah  among  the  branches  of  the  trees,  I  have  only 
once  seen  him  lose  it  altogether,  and  then,  still 
seated  in  the  saddle,  he  soon  folded  it  firmly  round  his 
temples  with  deft  fingers.  He  and  the  Gaekwar  have 
each  brought  half  a  dozen  fine  hunters  with  them ; 
and  my  own  allowance  of  horse-flesh  has  been  very 
liberal :  Mattine,  the  beautiful  little  Arab  of  whom  I 
am  so  fond ;  Mirag  Raj,  which  Her  Highness  kindly 
allows  me  to  ride,  and  a  very  useful  Irish  hunter,  a 
coal-black  mare  with  a  white  star  on  her  forehead, 
whom  I  have  called  Molly.  Twice  she  has  stood  me 
in  good  stead  when  in  my  ignorance  of  the  country 
and  through  not  following  Shivajirao's  lead  close 

252 


JUNE 

enough,  I  have  floundered  into  bogs,  of  which  there 
are  plenty  among  the  hills. 

There  are  awkward  places  here  and  there,  and  I 
have  several  times  seen  a  horse  so  tightly  jammed 
among  the  rocks  of  a  harmless-looking  watercourse 
that  it  seemed  impossible  ever  to  get  it  out  again. 
Mattine  makes  a  grand  hunter,  arching  his  flowing 
tail  and  pawing  the  ground  with  impatience,  and  it 
was  all  I  could  do  to  hold  him  until  Faye,  the 
coachman,  showed  me  a  dodge  for  gripping  the  reins, 
which  I  have  found  very  useful. 

We  have  had  several  capital  runs,  but  as  I  know 
about  as  much  of  the  language  of  the  chase  as  I  do 
of  Tamil,  I  cannot  attempt  to  describe  them,  and 
often  at  the  end  of  a  very  enjoyable  day  I  should 
find  it  hard  to  give  an  account  of  what  exactly  has 
happened. 

I  am  quite  happy  to  be  flying  along  over  the 
springy  turf  through  the  fresh  breeze,  and  to  find 
myself  at  the  end  of  the  day  still  in  the  saddle  with 
no  broken  bones.  If  we  are  very  far  from  home  I 
manage  to  keep  somewhere  near  the  Gaekwar  and 
come  back  with  him  in  the  car,  which  is  not  far 
away  on  the  nearest  road ;  but,  as  a  rule,  I  ride 
quietly  back,  joining  other  parties  who  are  doing  the 
same,  and  in  this  way  making  many  delightful  friends 
whom  I  should  otherwise  never  have  met. 

One  morning  we  had  a  big  hunt  breakfast  at  the 
club,  followed  by  a  meet  in  the  beautiful  grounds 

253 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

of  Fernhill,  the  Maharaja  of  Mysore's  country  house, 
where  we  were  all  photographed.  His  Highness  is 
very  popular  with  the  English  community  and  does  a 
great  deal  to  entertain  them.  Soon  after  our 
arrival  he  gave  a  large  ball  at  Fernhill,  to  which  we 
all  went.  There  was  a  large  crowd  there,  and  for 
nearly  an  hour  the  Maharaja,  magnificently  attired  in 
silks  and  jewels,  which  filled  all  the  ladies  with  envy, 
stood  in  the  hall  receiving  his  guests,  who  arrived  in 
one  long  stream  of  motor-cars,  carriages,  rickshaws 
and  bullock-carts.  There  is  a  beautiful  ballroom 
occupying  the  whole  of  the  centre  of  the  mansion, 
surrounded  by  a  gallery,  from  which  the  ladies  of  his 
family  watched  the  proceedings  from  behind  purdah 
t%  chicks."  Here  and  there  a  dark  little  hand  would 
eagerly  move  the  curtain  a  little,  so  that  a  pair  of 
bright  eyes  might  get  a  better  view  of  the  scene. 

And  a  brilliant  scene  it  was ;  the  ladies  beautifully 
dressed,  the  men  nearly  all  in  uniform,  the  native 
guests  gorgeous  in  all  the  colours  of  the  rainbow. 
The  floor  was  perfect,  and  when  at  the  end  of  each 
dance  the  company  had  flowed  into  the  large 
conservatories  and  marquees  erected  on  the  lawn,  an 
army  of  native  servants  rushed  in  to  polish  it  up 
with  French  chalk,  so  that  it  went  on  getting  better 
and  better  all  through  the  evening.  The  music  was 
excellent,  being  provided  by  the  regimental  band 
from  Wellington ;  and  I  need  hardly  say  that  there 
was  a  first-rate  supper,  with  unlimited  champagne. 

254 


JUNE 

At  first  I  was  afraid  that  I  should  not  dance  much, 
as  I  knew  no  one  there,  but  the  Gaekwar  soon  put 
me  under  the  wing  of  the  Prime  Minister,  who 
introduced  me  to  Mrs.  Whitehead,  wife  of  the 
Bishop  of  Madras,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  evening  I 
had  plenty  of  partners,  and  at  every  dance  afterwards 
had  my  card  full  before  I  had  been  many  minutes  in 
the  room.  The  Maharaja,  with  delightful  courtesy, 
hardly  ever  left  the  ballroom,  and  when  I  went  away 
at  a  late  hour  he  was  still  there,  saying  good-bye  to 
his  guests  as  they  departed :  he  must  have  been 
horribly  bored,  but  he  did  not  give  the  least  sign  of 
it.  Even  then  there  were  a  few  pairs  of  eager  eyes 
still  left  in  the  gallery.  Our  own  ladies  had  been 
there  for  a  short  time,  and  made  me  give  a  full 
account  of  it  all  the  next  day. 

The  next  week  there  was  a  large  fancy  dress  ball 
at  Government  House,  and  it  was  great  fun  discover- 
ing my  fair  partners  of  the  previous  evening  under 
the  various  charming  disguises  which  they  had 
adopted. 

Here  again  everything  was  carried  out  in  perfection, 
and  the  scene  was  very  brilliant  and  animated. 
There  is  a  large  number  of  pretty  girls  in  Ooty,  who 
looked  quite  lovely  in  costumes  which  each  had 
selected  to  display  her  own  style  of  beauty  to  the 
greatest  advantage.  Some  of  the  dresses  were  very 
handsome,  and  the  native  guests,  wearing  their  most 
splendid  jewels  for  the  occasion,  made  a  brave  show. 

255 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

Later  in  the  week,  the  Governor  and  Lady  Lawley 
gave  another  successful  entertainment,  two  amusing 
plays  being  presented  by  the  members  of  their  house- 
party  in  the  large  hall,  which  is  often  used  as  a 
theatre.  In  India  amateur  theatricals  are  very 
popular,  and  the  performance  was  considerably  above 
the  level  of  shows  of  a  similar  kind  which  you  see  at 
home. 

After  this  the  fun  became  fast  and  furious,  and  for 
two  months  there  were  three  or  four  dances  every 
week.  The  Hunt  Ball  and  the  Bachelors'  Ball  took 
place  at  the  club.  The  Masons,  arrayed  in  the  full 
regalia  of  their  craft,  entertained  the  ladies,  whom 
they  adore  (no  mortal  can  more !)  in  the  Masonic 
Hall. 

The  "  Maids  of  Ooty  "  lavished  their  favours  upon 
their  devoted  admirers  in  the  Assembly  Rooms,  and 
the  soldiers  at  Wellington  have  shown  themselves  not 
ungrateful  for  them.  There  have  also  been  a  number 
of  private  dances,  either  in  the  hotels  or  at  the  public 
rooms.  Bridge  parties  have  been  very  popular,  and  I 
have  had  more  invitations  to  dinner  than  I  have  been 
able  to  accept.  There  are  good  golf  links  on  the 
downs. 

On  Sundays  we  all  go  to  St.  Stephen's  Church, 
where  I  have  been  helping  the  chaplain.  The 
Governor  always  attends  the  morning  service  with  a 
mounted  escort  riding  in  front  of  his  carriage.  One 
day  the  Bishop  of  Madras  preached,  such  a  long 

256 


JUNE 

sermon!  I  was  sitting  in  the  chancel  just  opposite 
the  Governor's  pew,  and  it  was  most  amusing  to 
watch  their  faces ;  Sir  Arthur  sleeping,  Lady  Lawley 
yawning,  the  son  looking  at  his  watch  and  then  at  the 
side  door,  which  stood  invitingly  open  just  behind 
them,  and  the  pretty  daughters  trying  to  conceal 
their  smiles,  as  much  amused  as  I  was  myself.  The 
organ  is  a  most  powerful  instrument,  and  the  Eurasian 
woman  who  plays  it  gets  her  money's  worth  out  of 
the  blowers  ;  so  we  are  all  very  glad  when  it  is  over. 

The  monsoon,  on  which  the  prosperity  of  India  so 
greatly  depends,  has  come,  and  promises  to  be  very 
good.  It  began  with  a  terrific  thunder-storm,  which 
caught  us  driving  in  the  car,  miles  from  home.  We 
lost  our  way,  and  the  dense  darkness,  broken  by 
blinding  flashes  of  lightning,  and  the  rain  which  fell 
in  sheets,  made  it  very  difficult  to  find  it  again.  We 
had  to  turn  the  car  in  a  very  awkward  place,  with  a 
precipice  on  one  side  and  a  deep  ditch  on  the  other, 
backing  and  twisting  in  a  most  alarming  way,  and  I 
was  very  glad  when  we  got  safe  home. 

Nothing  of  that  kind  disturbs  Maharaja  in  the  least, 
and  I  have  never  known  him  show  the  slightest  sign 
of  fear.  He  is  so  careless  about  his  safety  that 
Maharani  is  sometimes  quite  unhappy  about  him. 
She  gave  me  a  lecture  on  the  subject  one  day : 
"  You  must  take  great  care  of  my  husband ;  he  is  no 
ordinary  man,  and  his  life  is  very  precious."  But  I 
have  long  since  realized  that  all  my  counsels  of 

257  *7 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

caution    are    wasted ;     he  simply   turns    a    deaf  ear  to 
them. 

It  rained  steadily  for  a  week  and  then  cleared  up 
again,  and  since  then  we  have  been  having  most 
lovely-  weather,  just  like  a  very  fine  September  in 
England.  Maharani  does  not  like  it  when  it  is  wet 
and  cold ;  she  complains  bitterly  when  the  weather 
is  bad,  and  sits  crouching  in  front  of  the  fire  and 
wishing  herself  back  at  home.  We  ought  really  to 
have  come  here  a  month  earlier  than  we  did,  instead 
of  grilling  in  Baroda ;  but  that  is  Maharaja's  way : 
he  seems  to  be  quite  indifferent  to  weather,  and  is 
very  fond  of  going  to  places  out  of  the  season. 

The  Bishop  of  Madras  and  Mrs.  Whitehead  are 
very  sociable  people ;  they  are  often  out  with  the 
hounds,  and  she  comes  to  all  the  big  dances.  They 
have  a  nice  house  in  Ooty  and  entertain  a  good  deal 
in  a  mild  way,  missionary  meetings,  tennis  parties  and 
that  kind  of  thing.  She  is  a  capital  talker  and  keeps 
things  going  wherever  she  is,  and  you  are  sure  of 
meeting  interesting  people  at  her  house. 

There  have  been  two  very  enjoyable  race-meetings, 
one  here  and  one  at  Wellington ;  the  gaily-dressed 
crowds  on  the  lawns  and  in  the  paddock,  and  the 
background  of  natives  in  their  white  dresses  watching 
the  proceedings  from  every  available  eminence,  and 
the  crush  of  horses  and  carriages  with  the  grooms 
in  smart  liveries,  made  the  scene  a  very  animated 
one, 

258 


JUNE 

The  Horse  Show,  too.  was  great  fun,  especially  the 
race  for  children,  where  two  fat  little  boys  kept 
falling  off  their  fat  ponies,  and  being  helped  on  again 
by  their  devoted  native  servants.  Another  tiny  boy 
in  pink,  with  top-boots  and  a  velvet  hunting-cap,  was 
enjoying  himself  immensely.  Some  of  the  jumping 
was  very  good.  Shiva jirao  went  in  for  the  driving 
competition,  but  did  not  win  anything,  the  honours 
going  to  the  young  ladies,  some  of  whom  had  very 
smart  turn-outs. 

About  twelve  miles  from  Ooty,  and  five  hundred 
feet  lower,  there  is  a  charming  place  called  Coonoor. 
While  the  hunting  people  prefer  Ooty,  Coonoor  is 
the  paradise  for  those  who  want  to  play  tennis,  as 
they  have  less  rain  there.  We  often  go  over  to  see 
the  Meades,  who  are  staying  there,  and  I  have  been 
there  for  several  dances.  A  man  whom  I  met  out 
hunting  has  been  very  kind  in  putting  me  up  at  the 
club,  which  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  top  of  the 
hill  with  a  glorious  view ;  he  lives  there  and  keeps 
his  hunters  at  Ooty.  All  the  girls  out  here  dance 
well,  much  better  than  they  do  in  England,  where 
the  really  good  dancers  are  in  the  minority.  Here 
you  never  meet  the  girl  who  "  doesn't  think  she 
valses,  but  would  rather  like  to  try." 

They  have  all  given  me  a  splendid  time :  good 
tennis  in  the  afternoon,  good  bridge  before  dinner, 
and  most  delightful  dancing  afterwards,  with  lovely 
places  for  sitting  out  with  a  charming  partner  under 

259  17* 


A   YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

the  glorious  stars.  What  could  a  man  wish  for  more  ? 
I  am  afraid  that  after  all  this  I  shall  find  the  daily 
round  in  England  rather  dull ;  but  I  must  not  think 
about  that  just  yet. 

I  have  even  been  lucky  enough  to  find  a  member 
of  the  Croquet  Association  living  out  here,  Colonel 
Lowry,  with  whom  I  have  had  some  capital  games. 
The  Gaekwar  came  down  to  watch  one  of  them,  and 
afterwards  took  part  in  a  foursome  himself.  He  is 
always  ready  to  join  in  anything  that  is  going  on  and 
to  do  his  best  to  make  it  a  success.  Sometimes,  of 
course,  mishaps  occur,  but  they  are  never  his  fault ; 
he  has  to  depend  a  good  deal  on  his  secretaries  and 
officials,  and  it  is  surprising  that  they  make  so  few 
mistakes. 

The  other  day  he  had  arranged  to  take  part  in  a 
motor-meet  at  Coonoor,  and  go  on  for  a  picnic 
among  the  hills.  The  meet  was  fixed  for  noon, 
which  was  interpreted  by  the  secretary  as  "  in  the 
afternoon " !  We  took  over  two  cars,  intending  to 
pick  up  the  Meades  on  the  way ;  but,  alas !  it  was 
twelve  miles  beyond  the  rendezvous  that  we  came  up 
with  them  toiling  along  in  rickshaws ;  and  when  we 
reached  the  place  appointed  for  the  picnic  it  was 
practically  all  over,  the  awkward  part  of  the  whole 
thing  being  that  we  were  responsible  for  bringing  the 
provisions. 

It  takes  a  good  deal  to  disturb  the  Gaekwar's 
equanimity,  but  he  was  really  very  much  annoyed 

260 


JUNE 

about  this,  as  he  is  most  punctilious  in  fulfilling  social 
engagements,  and  there  are  plenty  of  people  only  too 
ready  to  criticize  when  things  go  wrong,  and  to  lay 
down  the  law  about  what  he  ought  and  what  he 
ought  not  to  do.  A  few  years  ago  he  gave  a  big 
ball,  and  as  there  is  no  room  at  "Woodstock"  for 
dancing,  the  Maharaja  of  Mysore  lent  him  "  Fernhill " 
for  the  purpose.  But  this  year  the  Mysore  people 
were  there  themselves,  and  it  was  hardly  to  be 
expected  that  the  Gaekwar,  who  is  here  on  a  private 
visit  and  does  not  care  a  bit  about  dancing  himself, 
should  move  heaven  and  earth  to  afford  an  evening's 
amusement  for  a  lot  of  people  whom  he  has  never 
seen  before  in  his  life.  However,  when  it  was 
announced  that  he  was  to  give  a  garden  party 
instead,  there  was  a  great  deal  of  grumbling,  and  still 
more  when  invitations  were  sent  out  for  a  party  at 
the  Gymkhana  instead  of  at  "  Woodstock."  I  thought 
myself  that  this  was  rather  a  pity,  as  so  many  people 
would  have  been  glad  of  the  opportunity  of  seeing 
the  beautiful  gardens. 

The  event,  however,  proved  that  His  Highness  was 
perfectly  right ;  everything  went  off  splendidly  and 
even  the  malcontents  had  to  allow  that  it  was  one  of 
the  most  successful  events  of  the  season.  The  tennis- 
courts  were  crowded,  there  were  not  enough  croquet 
lawns  to  go  round,  and  long  after  the  dinner-hour 
the  pavilion  was  full  of  people  playing  bridge.  Mr. 
Pluck  presided  over  the  arrangements  in  the  refresh- 

261 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

ment  tents,  so  that  part  of  the  business  left  nothing 
to  be  desired ;  and  from  first  to  last  the  Gaekwar 
was  untiring  in  moving  about  among  his  guests  and 
assuring  himself  that  all  were  amusing  themselves  in 
the  way  that  most  pleased  them. 

I  had  arranged  another  croquet  foursome  for  him 
with  Colonel  Lowry  and  Turnbull,  but  he  would  not 
hear  of  it ;  at  any  other  time,  he  said,  he  would  be 
delighted  to  play,  but  this  afternoon  we  had  to  think 
not  of  ourselves  but  of  others  and  he  had  too  many 
people  to  look  after  to  take  part  in  any  games 
himself. 

The  interest  which  he  takes  in  the  welfare  of 
others  is,  indeed,  one  of  the  most  striking  points  in 
his  character ;  and  it  is  the  more  extraordinary 
because,  in  India,  the  typical  Raja  is  commonly 
supposed  to  have  no  consideration  for  anyone  except 
himself.  It  is  delightful  to  see  him  in  his  library 
with  the  young  Maharaja  Holkar  of  Indore,  taking 
down  from  the  shelves  any  books  which  he  thinks  will 
be  useful  to  him  and  then  sitting  down  at  his  writing 
table  to  sketch  out  a  plan  of  profitable  reading. 

Holkar  of  Indore  is  a  fine  young  fellow  of  about 
the  same  age  as  Shivajirao,  and  they  are  inseparable 
companions,  hunting  and  playing  tennis  together,  and 
driving  about  all  over  the  country  in  their  cars.  His 
sister  is  a  great  friend  of  Indira's  and  often  comes  to 
stay  with  her  at  Baroda.  They  are  the  descendants 
of  Ahalaya  Bai,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  women 

262 


JUNE 

in  Indian  history,  whose  whole  life  was  devoted  to 
the  administration  of  justice  and  acts  of  charity,  and 
whose  charitable  foundations  extend  all  over  India. 
It  is  recorded  of  her  that  she  had  the  courage  to 
watch  her  daughter  become  sati  after  vainly  trying  to 
dissuade  her  from  it.  It  is  pleasant  to  observe  how 
many  of  her  admirable  qualities  our  young  friends 
seem  to  have  inherited. 

Another  frequent  visitor  at  Woodstock  is  the 
Maharaja  of  Alwar,  a  tall  handsome  Rajput  of 
dignified  presence  and  serious  aspect.  Clad  in  a  long 
flannel  coat  with  gold  buttons  and  Jodhpore 
breeches,  and  wearing  beautiful  emerald  earrings,  he 
plays  a  remarkably  good  game  of  tennis,  and  on  wet 
afternoons  we  often  meet  him  in  the  racquet-court 
at  Fernhill,  where  he  and  Nimbalker  have  exciting 
games.  He  is  said  to  have  some  priceless  Oriental 
manuscripts  in  the  library  of  his  palace,  which  is  one 
of  the  most  picturesque  spots  in  India ;  and  he 
certainly  gives  you  the  impression  of  a  man  who  has 
been  brought  up  among  beautiful  and  cultured  sur- 
roundings. 

In  striking  contrast  to  these  two  is  one  of  the 
smaller  chiefs,  a  restless,  unhappy-looking  individual, 
who  may  be  seen  at  all  the  public  dances  hurrying 
about  in  white  kid  gloves  and  a  lofty  turban, 
feverishly  filling  his  programme  with  the  names  of 
reluctant  partners  who  always  vanish  mysteriously 
when  the  time  comes ;  all  through  the  dances  he 

263 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

wanders  round  the  room  looking  for  them,  vaguely 
wondering  how  it  is  that  other  men  seem  to  have 
no  difficulty  in  finding  their  partners,  and  consoling 
himself  for  repeated  failures  by  some  occasional 
success.  At  all  the  race-meetings  he  may  be  seen 
lavishing  hospitality  upon  unwilling  recipients  in  the 
vain  hope  of  winning  for  himself  the  popularity 
which  the  Maharaja  of  Mysore  enjoys  without  any 
apparent  effort  to  obtain  it. 

In  spite  of  his  insignificant  stature  and  somewhat 
ungainly  figure,  the  Maharaja  of  Mysore  is  quite  the 
most  striking  personality  in  his  own  state.  It  is 
impossible  to  forget  that  the  little  man  in  the  grey 
frock-coat  tightly  buttoned  round  his  portly  form,  as 
he  chats  rather  nervously  to  some  fashionable  woman 
or  sporting  subaltern,  is  not  only  the  ruler  of  some 
thirty  thousand  square  miles  of  country,  but  that  he 
is  also  held  in  such  veneration  by  six  millions  of 
subjects  that  at  one  of  the  great  festivals  he  must 
sit  for  days  in  awful  magnificence  upon  his  throne 
while  they  worship  him  with  divine  honours. 

In  this  one  man  all  the  strange  problems  which 
beset  the  mingling  of  East  with  West,  of  ancient 
with  modern,  of  the  sublime  with  the  ridiculous, 
seem  to  be  summed  up  ;  and  one  can  only  guess  in 
vain  at  the  thoughts  which  are  passing  through  the 
brain  concealed  behind  that  amiable  countenance, 
which  at  one  moment  appears  wreathed  with 
brightest  smiles,  at  the  next  sunk  in  deepest 

264 


JUNE 

melancholy.  Probably  he  has  so  much  to  think 
about  that  he  does  not  think  at  all,  like  the  Persian 
philosopher  in  Tolstoy's  tale,  who  had  meditated  so 
much  on  the  attributes  of  the  Deity  that  he  had 
become  an  atheist. 

Since  I  have  been  in  India  the  Parsis  have 
interested  me  very  much,  and  as  there  are  a  good 
many  of  them  staying  in  Ooty  just  now  I  have 
gone  to  some  trouble  to  get  acquainted  with  them, 
and  succeeded  so  well  that  not  only  have  I  been 
invited  to  visit  many  of  them  in  their  homes  but 
have  even  been  the  only  European  guest  at  a  big 
banquet  at  which  they  were  all  assembled,  when 
many  speeches  were  made  in  praise  of  England  as 
the  protector  of  the  poor  and  of  the  Parsi  race  in 
particular. 

The  Todas,  who  are  to  be  found  only  in  Ooty, 
are  a  curious  aboriginal  hill  tribe,  who  are  fast  dying 
out,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  the  Government  to 
preserve  them.  They  must  at  one  time  have  been  a 
singularly  handsome  race,  and  many  of  their  faces  are 
still  quite  beautiful,  though  the  limbs  are  shrunken 
and  attenuated  almost  to  deformity. 

Only  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  club  and  one 
of  the  best  hotels  are  the  miserable  hovels,  shaped 
like  large  bee-hives,  into  which  they  crawl  through 
a  small,  round  aperture,  and  near  them  is  the  sacred 
enclosure,  something  like  a  village  pound,  into  which 
no  stranger  is  allowed  to  penetrate.  They  speak  a 

265 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

curious  liquid    language,  which  resembles  the  warbling 
of  birds. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  at  Woodstock,  a  large  crowd 
of  them  assembled  one  morning  outside  the  gates  and 
sat  there  all  day,  in  the  hope  of  seeing  the  Gaekwar 
come  out.  Sometimes  when  out  hunting  we  have 
come  across  an  isolated  Toda  hut  far  away  among  the 
hills.  If  you  pass  along  the  road  near  their  main 
encampment,  the  women  and  girls  will  follow  you  for 
some  distance,  twittering  and  trying  to  attract  atten- 
tion. Their  only  covering  is  a  rough  blanket,  and 
this  they  remove  at  the  smallest  encouragement  in 
the  hope  of  receiving  a  few  annas  as  a  reward  for  the 
sad  spectacle.  Even  if  nothing  can  be  done  to 
improve  the  condition  of  these  wretched  outcasts,  this 
at  least  might  well  be  discouraged,  as  it  is  degrading 
not  only  to  the  miserable  creatures  themselves,  but 
also  to  the  civilized  society,  which  for  its  amusement 
places  them  on  a  lower  level  than  the  beasts  of  the 
field.  Of  the  Todas,  then,  let  this  much  have  been 
said. 


266 


JULY 

"  A  LL  things  come  to  an  end,"  says  the  Psalmist, 
-**-  and  it  was  with  much  regret  that  we  saw  the 
day  dawn  on  which  we  were  to  leave  Ooty. 
The  sun  was  shining  brightly,  and  the  gardens  had 
never  looked  more  lovely  than  they  did  as  we  drove 
through  them  for  the  last  time :  the  waters  of  the 
lake  were  laughing  in  the  sunbeams,  and  the  lawns  of 
the  Gymkhana,  where  we  had  spent  so  many  happy 
hours,  were  looking  beautifully  green  and  smooth. 

We  stopped  at  the  confectioner's  to  get  a  big  box 
of  chocolates  for  Indira,  and  then  started  on  the  long 
drive  to  Mettapulyan,  the  railway  station  far  away 
down  in  the  plains,  passing  for  hour  after  hour 
through  most  lovely  scenery.  Half  way  down  we 
rested  for  an  hour  in  a  beautiful  garden,  where 
experiments  are  made  with  tropical  plants.  All  the 
way  down  the  roads  were  excellent,  winding  in  and 
out  along  the  sides  of  the  mountains  covered  with 
luxuriant  foliage,  beneath  which  the  brawling  waters 
of  the  river  raced  by  a  score  of  waterfalls  to  the 
plains. 

267 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

When  we  reached  the  station,  we  were  reminded 
that  for  two  months  we  had  not  known  what  it  was 
to  be  really  hot,  but  as  soon  as  we  were  in  the  train 
it  was  all  right.  When  we  reached  the  main  line  we 
dined  together  in  the  refreshment  room  at  the 
junction  and  then  parted  company  for  a  week.  Their 
Highnesses  were  going  to  Madura,  so  that  Indira 
might  see  the  great  temples  in  the  neighbourhood ; 
but  the  Gaekwar  thought  that  it  would  be  more 
amusing  for  me  to  accept  the  invitation  which  the 
Maharaja  of  Mysore  had  given  me  to  stay  with  him 
at  Bangalore  for  the  race  week.  So  Nimbalker,  who 
was  not  sorry  to  have  a  holiday,  came  on  with  me  to 
Bangalore,  which  we  reached  early  the  next  morning. 
As  the  Maharaja  himself  was  staying  in  the  palace, 
we  were  quartered  in  the  "  Cottage,"  a  very  com- 
fortable guest-house  in  the  garden,  quite  close  to  the 
palace.  Both  here  and  at  Mysore  the  Maharaja 
entertains  on  a  lavish  scale  during  the  race  week,  and 
I  need  hardly  say  that  we  were  most  hospitably 
entertained  and  made  exceedingly  comfortable. 

The  Maharaja  was,  of  course,  very  busy,  and  I  only 
saw  him  twice,  having  tea  with  him  on  the  day  of 
our  arrival  and  paying  a  farewell  call,  but  his  brother, 
the  Yuvaraj,  who  is  the  heir-presumptive,  looked 
after  us  well  and  took  us  out  every  day  for  a  drive 
in  his  car.  He  is  an  extremely  pleasant  and  agreeable 
young  man  and  speaks  English  perfectly.  We  had 
seen  a  good  deal  of  him  at  Ooty,  where  he  was 

268 


JULY 

always  very  much  in  evidence  when  any  horses  were 
about. 

We  had  a  very  gay  week,  the  races  and  the  polo 
tournament  taking  place  on  alternate  days.  The 
weather  was  good  on  the  whole,  though  one  afternoon 
the  play  was  stopped  by  a  tremendous  downpour, 
which  drove  us  first  to  the  tents  and  then  to  our 
carriages.  All  the  regiments  and  clubs  had  tents  in 
which  they  entertained  guests,  and  there  were  crowds 
of  pretty  women  about,  all  very  well  turned  out. 
So  many  of  them  had  been  at  Ooty  that  I  had  no 
lack  of  partners  for  the  dances  which  took  place  every 
night,  and  I  had  the  advantage  of  being  under  the 
wing  of  Colonel  Desaraj  Urs,  who  has  the  gift  of 
getting  on  better  with  Englishmen  than  any  native  I 
have  ever  met,  except,  perhaps,  Ranjitsinhji.  He  is  a 
great  sportsman,  and  was  the  life  and  soul  of  the 
meeting  both  indoors  and  out.  It  was  all  very  jolly, 
everyone  was  so  kind  and  hospitable,  and  I  was  very 
sorry  when  it  was  over. 

In  India  it  is  an  enormous  help  to  be  a  padre ; 
your  collar  is  a  passport  everywhere,  and  everyone 
you  meet  treats  you  as  an  old  friend  whom  he  has 
known  all  his  life.  Before  you  have  been  in  a  strange 
place  five  minutes  some  nice  well-groomed  boy  comes 
up  with  a  smiling  face  and  cheery  voice,  to  ask, 
"  How  are  you  getting  on,  Padre  ?  Have  you  got 
everything  you  want  ?  " 

The  rain  was  pouring  down  when  we  left  Bangalore, 

269 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

and  the  country  through  which  we  passed  was  almost 
under  water.  The  next  afternoon  we  drew  up  at 
Londa  Junction,  where  we  found  their  Highnesses' 
saloon  waiting  to  be  attached  to  our  train ;  they 
were  on  the  look-out  for  us  and  called  to  me  to  join 
them,  so  I  made  a  dash  for  it  and  was  almost  drowned 
crossing  the  platform. 

We  had  a  merry  little  dinner  together,  at  which  the 
Maharani  told  them  to  give  me  some  champagne,  and 
when  I  asked  why  she  spoiled  me  so  much,  she  said 
that  it  was  because  it  was  my  birthday,  a  fact  which 
I  had  quite  forgotten !  When  I  returned  to  my  own 
compartment,  I  found  Nimbalker  hobnobbing  with  a 
young  Hindu,  the  son  of  a  rich  Bombay  merchant, 
who  seemed  to  have  had  quite  enough  to  drink. 
Presently  Nimbalker  left  us  to  attend  upon  the 
Gaekwar,  and  soon  after  the  youth  came  and  sat  down 
beside  me  and  began  to  talk  in  the  most  familiar  way, 
using  language  which  no  gentleman  in  England  would 
dream  of  using.  I  was  furious  and  took  no  notice  of 
him  ;  luckily  the  train  soon  stopped  at  a  station,  so  I 
opened  the  door  and  told  him  to  clear  out ;  at  first 
he  tried  to  be  insolent,  but  when  he  saw  that  I  was 
getting  very  angry  he  slunk  off  like  a  whipped  dog. 
Nimbalker  was,  of  course,  very  apologetic  when  I  told 
him  about  it.  There  are  no  doubt  objectionable 
people  to  be  found  everywhere  in  the  world,  but  this 
is  the  only  time  that  I  have  been  rudely  treated  by 
a  native  in  India.  Sometimes  they  are  inclined  to 

270 


JULY 

be  a  bit  cheeky,  but  as  a  rule  they  are  extremely 
polite. 

It  was  still  raining  hard  when  we  reached  Poona 
early  the  next  morning,  and  the  meet  of  the  hounds 
which  we  passed  a  few  miles  out  of  the  town  looked 
anything  but  cheerful.  We  stayed  there  for  a  fort- 
night. A  very  nice  bungalow  looking  on  to  the  polo 
ground,  called  Polo  Vista,  had  been  engaged  for  their 
Highnesses,  and  rooms  had  been  taken  for  me  at  the 
Connaught  Hotel,  where  I  was  fairly  comfortable. 

The  Gaekwar  was  very  much  engaged,  and  Shivajirao 
and  Turnbull  had  gone  back  to  Baroda  the  week 
before  we  left  Ooty,  so  I  was  thrown  on  my  own 
resources  to  a  certain  extent  during  the  day,  generally 
dining  and  spending  the  evening  at  Polo  Vista. 
Luckily  I  found  some  very  pleasant  people  in  the 
hotel,  the  Russian,  Turkish  and  Persian  Consuls,  and  a 
very  beautiful  and  charming  Jewish  lady,  who  played 
the  piano  and  sang  delightfully,  and  who  was  also 
something  of  a  poetess. 

The  manager  had  hired  a  new  Bechstein  specially 
for  her  from  Bombay,  and  we  made  a  great  deal  of 
music  together.  I  have  long  had  it  in  my  mind  to 
write  a  new  Baroda  National  Anthem,  as  the  one 
they  have  got  is  not  up  to  much  and  has  no  tradi- 
tional value ;  and  here  I  had  a  real  inspiration  for  it, 
just  the  thing  I  wanted,  short  and  sweet  and  so 
"  catchy  "  that  my  lovely  Jewess  sat  down  to  the  piano 
and  played  it  straight  away  after  she  had  heard  it 

271 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

once.  It  has  a  good  bass,  and  when  I  have  orches- 
trated it  for  a  military  band,  it  ought  to  sound  rather 
fine. 

They  brought  Mattine  there  for  me  and  I  rode  him 
every  morning  and  went  out  several  times  to  Kirkee 
to  lunch  with  the  Bishop  of  Bombay  and  Brinton, 
who  have  a  house  there.  The  Bishop  is  still  fright- 
fully keen  on  his  new  work  and  is  learning  Mahratti, 
which  he  studies  for  some  hours  every  day;  he  is  also 
improving  his  riding  in  the  military  riding-school  and 
is  learning  to  jump.  Brinton  is  in  charge  of  one  of  the 
churches  in  Poona,  where  I  went  to  help  him  on  the 
Sundays. 

We  generally  spent  the  afternoon  at  the  Gymkhana 
Club,  which  is  very  good  and  comfortable  ;  very  often 
the  string  band  of  the  regiment  was  playing  there, 
very  well  and  good  music.  Or  when  it  was  fine,  we 
went  down  to  the  Bund,  a  beautiful  garden  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  where  the  natives,  chiefly  Parsis, 
come  in  the  evening  in  their  carriages  and  walk 
about.  Just  beyond  it  there  is  a  fine  bridge  over  the 
river,  which  is  very  broad  here ;  it  was  much  swollen 
by  the  rains,  and  came  over  the  weir  with  a  grand 
swirl.  Nearly  everywhere  in  India  there  is  some  place 
where  the  people  meet  together  at  sunset  to  stroll 
about  and  chat ;  it  is  a  pleasant  custom. 

One  evening  at  dinner  Maharaja  felt  a  pain  in  one 
of  his  teeth.  He  was  greatly  concerned  about  it,  and 
a  telegram  was  sent  to  the  principal  dentist  in 

272 


JULY 

Bombay  asking  him  to  come  over  the  next  day. 
Dr.  Jadhav  fitted  up  one  of  the  rooms  in  the 
bungalow  as  a  surgery,  with  a  proper  dentist's  chair 
and  all  complete.  However,  there  was  nothing  the 
matter.  I  asked  him  to  have  a  look  round  my  teeth, 
and  he  found  a  small  hole  which  wanted  stopping. 
While  he  was  doing  it,  he  amused  me  by  telling  me 
of  a  curious  experience  which  he  had  a  little  time 
ago.  The  ruler  of  a  country  not  a  hundred  miles 
from  India  (as  you  might  say),  a  very  big  personage 
indeed,  came  to  him  for  treatment.  While  the  tooth 
was  being  stopped,  the  large  suite  which  he  had 
brought  with  him  stood  respectfully  behind  the  chair. 
The  dentist  was  as  careful  as  possible  not  to  hurt  his 
patient,  but  once  he  got  rather  near  the  nerve  and 
the  great  man  winced.  One  of  the  courtiers  put  his 
hand  up  to  his  mouth  to  hide  a  smile ;  but  he  had 
forgotten  a  large  mirror  hanging  before  them  on  the 
wall.  When  it  was  all  over,  the  great  personage  rose, 
and  turning  to  the  unlucky  courtier,  told  him  to  sit 
down  in  the  chair  which  he  had  just  left.  Then, 
turning  to  the  dentist,  he  said  calmly  :  "  Please  pull 
out  all  his  teeth."  The  dentist  declined  to  do  so 
on  professional  grounds,  although  the  wretched  victim 
professed  himself  only  too  willing  to  have  the 
inevitable  operation  performed  by  a  skilful  hand.  So 
they  all  departed  to  find  some  more  venal  executioner. 
I  told  the  dentist  that  he  was  wrong.  As  he  knew 
the  man  would  have  to  lose  his  teeth  anyhow,  he 

273  1 8 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

ought  to  have  put  as  much  gilt  on  the  bitter  pill  as 
he  could.  But  he  said  that  he  could  not  tackle  such 
a  cold-blooded  job,  as  he  had  never  in  his  life  seen  a 
more  perfect  set  of  teeth.  It  is  a  nice  point  for  the 
casuists. 

On  the  way  back  to  Baroda,  we  stayed  for  a  few 
days  in  Bombay,  putting  up  at  the  Taj  Mahal. 
Maharani  had  stayed  behind  in  Poona  for  a  few  days 
longer,  so  our  "  pitch  up,"  as  a  Wykehamist  would 
say,  consisted  of  Maharaja,  Indira  and  myself,  a  new 
combination.  We  drove  about  together  all  over  the 
place,  and  at  the  luncheon  and  dinner  table  Indira 
made  a  perfect  hostess.  I  often  wonder  which  of 
the  Indian  Maharajas  she  will  marry  ;  he  will  indeed 
be  a  lucky  man,  for  I  have  not  yet  come  across  any- 
one who  is  half  good  enough  for  her. 

One  day  when  they  had  a  luncheon  engagement, 
Maharaja  suggested  that  I  might  amuse  myself  by 
going  over  to  Elephanta  to  see  the  famous  caves, 
which  are  on  an  island  in  the  bay,  and  said  that 
Sanka,  who  was  then  waiting  on  him,  had  better  go 
with  me  to  make  the  arrangements  and  act  as  my 
guide. 

We  got  a  very  comfortable  sailing-boat,  with  awnings 
and  plenty  of  cushions,  and  took  lunch  with  us.  It 
took  us  some  time  to  get  there,  as  there  was  very 
little  wind,  and  the  men  had  to  row  a  good  part  of 
the  way.  Sanka  was  very  pleased  to  be  with  me 
again,  and  told  me  a  lot  of  amusing  things  about  his 

274 


JULY 

wife  and  children,  of  whom  he  is  very  proud.  He  is 
taking  a  good  deal  of  trouble  about  his  wife's  educa- 
tion, and  showed  me  a  letter  which  she  had  written 
to  him  in  Mahratti,  and  certainly  it  was  beautifully 
done. 

We  climbed  up  a  path  through  the  woods  to  the 
caves,  which  are  magnificent.  There  are  several  of 
them,  hollowed  out  from  the  rock,  and  the  walls  are 
covered  with  ancient  sculptures  of  Hindu  mythology. 
Naturally  a  discussion  on  religion  followed,  and  I 
asked  him  if  he  could  tell  me  the  difference  between 
Buddhism  and  Hinduism.  He  promptly  replied, 
"  There  is  no  difference  between  the  religion  of  the 
Buddhists  and  the  religion  of  the  Hindus,  only  the 
Buddhists  like  their  gods  naked  and  the  Hindus  like 
them  dressed !  "  The  keeper  of  the  caves  had  a  tame 
monkey,  which  we  fed  with  cake. 

The  view  of  the  bay,  with  its  islands,  and  the  main- 
land in  the  distance,  was  very  fine.  In  the  afternoon 
a  fresh  breeze  sprang  up,  and  we  returned  home  very 
quickly,  flying  before  the  wind,  with  the  water  curling 
over  our  bows  and  the  salt  spray  whipping  our  faces ; 
most  invigorating  and  delightful. 

And  now  I  must  tell  you  about  the  most  extra- 
ordinary sight  I  have  yet  seen  in  India.  As  it  is  the 
kind  of  thing  you  do  not  get  in  the  guide-books,  I 
shall  try  to  describe  it  at  some  length. 

Probably  as  a  peace-offering  for  having  inflicted  the 
outrageous  Hindu  cad  upon  me  in  the  train,  Nimbalker 

275  18* 


A   YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

asked  me  if  I  would  like  to  see  a  Hindu  funeral. 
One  of  his  relations,  a  man  of  some  wealth  and  posi- 
tion, had  just  died,  and  the  cremation  was  to  take 
place  that  night.  Knowing  the  reverent  interest  that 
I  would  take  in  the  sad  proceedings,  his  friends  would 
feel  honoured  if  I  would  attend  the  ceremony.  I 
accepted  with  alacrity. 

At  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  stood  before  the 
house ;  the  door  was  open,  and  we  could  see  the  body 
laid  out  upon  a  bier  in  the  dimly-lighted  hall.  The 
dead  man  was  lying  upon  his  back,  clearly  outlined 
beneath  the  veil  of  white  silk  in  which  he  was 
wrapped. 

At  the  foot  of  the  bier  the  mourners  stood,  grave 
and  motionless,  while  one  of  them  performed  the 
ceremonial  rites,  murmuring  words  which  I  could  not 
understand,  in  deep,  monotonous  tones.  Taking  an 
urn  hanging  on  chains,  he  walked  slowly  round  the 
body,  sprinkling  it  for  a  long  time  with  holy  water 
from  the  Ganges,  which  Hindus  must  always  carry 
with  them  wherever  they  go. 

Then  the  bier  was  raised  upon  the  shoulders  of 
four  men,  and  the  procession  moved  slowly  forward. 
The  moon  had  set,  leaving  the  empty  streets  in  dark- 
ness, but  the  white  silk  shroud  caught  every  ray  of 
light,  and  the  body  upon  the  bier  seemed  luminous. 

It  was  an  impressive  sight ;  the  clear  form  of  the 
dead  passing  through  the  night,  borne  by  men  whose 
skin  was  so  dark  that  you  could  not  distinguish  their 

276 


JULY 

faces  and  hands ;  only  their  garments  were  dimly 
visible.  Wrapped  in  my  overcoat,  I  felt  an  incon- 
gruous and  intrusive  figure  among  the  mourners  who 
followed  the  bier. 

At  intervals,  the  four  bearers  stopped  for  a  few 
moments  to  take  breath,  and  then  went  on  with  ever 
shorter  steps  as  they  bent  under  their  burden.  At 
length  we  reached  the  Hindu  burial-ground,  separated 
only  by  the  width  of  the  road  from  the  beach  and 
from  the  sea,  whose  murmurings  filled  our  ears  as  it 
moved  restlessly  under  the  starlit  sky. 

The  funeral  pile,  slightly  longer  than  it  was  broad, 
was  about  four  feet  in  height.  The  position  of  the 
polar  star  was  ascertained,  and  the  dead  nobleman  was 
stretched  upon  the  wood  with  his  feet  turned 
towards  the  sacred  city  of  Benares.  Twelve  bottles 
of  petroleum  were  poured  over  him,  and  he  was  then 
completely  covered  with  planks  of  pine.  For  nearly 
an  hour  his  relations  and  servants  continued  to  raise 
the  pile,  till  it  resembled  the  huge  stacks  of  wood 
which  you  sometimes  see  on  a  wharf.  Several  bags  of 
shavings  were  emptied  on  the  summit  and  twenty 
bottles  of  oil  poured  over  them.  A  few  paces  away 
a  light  trembled  in  a  little  lamp  of  bronze,  which 
had  been  lit  on  the  arrival  of  the  body. 

The  moment  had  come.  The  relations  went  to 
fetch  the  fire.  A  torch  soaked  in  oil  was  kindled,  and 
suddenly  a  flame  shot  up,  lighting  up  the  weird 
scene.  The  Indians  raised  their  hands  to  heaven,  and 

277 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

their  shadows,  falling  upon  the  high  gateway  of  the 
cemetery,  looked  to  me  like  the  colossal  images  of  the 
gods  which  I  had  seen  the  day  before  upon  the 
walls  of  the  temple.  The  effect  was  so  striking  and 
unforeseen  that  I  felt  my  heart  beat  as  though  some 
supernatural  apparition  had  suddenly  risen  before  my 
eyes.  The  ancient  deities  seemed  to  be  watching 
their  son,  whose  spirit  was  so  soon  to  ascend  to  them 
in  a  fiery  chariot. 

They  disappeared  as  the  fire  was  brought.  The 
shavings  on  the  top  of  the  pile  were  lighted ;  then 
the  fire  gained  the  wood,  and  a  strong  light  illumin- 
ated the  groves  of  cypress,  the  beach  and  the  foam 
of  the  waves  breaking  on  the  shore.  From  minute  to 
minute  it  grew,  lighting  up  the  dancing  crests  of  the 
waves  far  away  at  sea. 

A  gusty  breeze  from  the  bay  was  blowing  and 
quickened  the  ardour  of  the  flames,  which  shot  up 
and  twisted  and  then  again  sank  low,  throwing  out  a 
myriad  sparks.  In  a  frenzied  dance,  they  mounted 
above  the  trees  and  were  lost  amid  the  twinkling 
stars  of  heaven.  Seabirds,  awakened  by  the  glare, 
came  circling  overhead  with  plaintive  cries,  passed 
with  white  wings  extended  into  the  glow  of  the 
flames  and  then  disappeared  again  into  the  night. 

Soon  the  pyre  was  one  sheet  of  fire,  not  red  but 
yellow,  the  blinding  yellow  of  a  furnace  lashed  by 
the  wind.  And  all  at  once,  after  an  unusually  strong 
gust,  it  tottered  and  partly  collapsed  on  the  side 

278 


JULY 

towards  the  sea.  The  dead  body,  which  until  now 
had  been  hidden,  appeared  again  in  all  its  terrible 
glory  to  our  horrified  gaze,  lying  black  upon  its 
couch  of  fire  and  burning  with  long  blue  flames.  It 
was  immediately  covered  with  fresh  wood,  and  the 
fire  began  to  blaze  again  more  furiously  than  ever. 
Now  and  then  smoke  and  sparks  were  blown  into 
our  faces,  but  no  odour  was  perceptible  save  that  of 
burning  oil  and  fragrant  pinewood. 

So  the  hours  passed  away,  while  the  Hindus,  sitting 
in  a  semicircle,  watched  the  departure  of  their 
kinsman  with  sad,  solemn  faces.  At  length  the  day 
began  to  break,  and  as  the  great  bell  in  the  cathedral 
tower  tolled  the  hour  of  five  nothing  was  left  but  a 
heap  of  ashes.  The  mourners  gathered  them  reverently 
together,  and  we  went  with  solemn  steps  down  to 
the  seashore,  where  they  cast  part  of  them  to  the 
wind  and  part  upon  the  sea.  The  little  that  remained 
was  sealed  up  in  a  brazen  urn,  which  they  carried 
away  with  them  to  their  home,  there  to  spend  the 
day  in  lamentation. 

The  cremation  was  perfectly  carried  out,  with 
singular  skill  and  remarkable  dignity.  All  the  rites 
demanded  by  their  religion  had  been  fulfilled.  Their 
dead  reposed  in  peace. 

Now  that  I  have  seen  a  man  burnt  upon  a  funeral 
pyre,  I  feel  that  when  my  own  turn  comes  to  leave 
this  world  I  should  wish  to  disappear  in  the  same 
way.  It  is  all  over  so  soon.  Man  hastens  the  slow 

279 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

work  of  Nature  instead  of  retarding  it.  The  flesh  is 
dead,  the  spirit  has  fled  away.  That  which  just  now 
was  a  human  being  is  dispersed  in  a  few  hours  by 
cleansing  fires,  which  throw  it  to  the  wind  in  the 
form  of  air  and  ashes. 

That  is  right  and  seemly.  Our  own  rite  of  burial, 
beautiful  though  it  is  in  many  ways,  has  still  much 
about  it  which  is  shocking  and  distressing,  and  can- 
not approach  the  grandeur,  the  beauty  and  solemnity 
of  the  pyre  blazing  beneath  the  majestic  canopy  of 
heaven. 

The  same  evening  we  left  by  the  night  mail  for 
Baroda,  which  we  reached  at  five  o'clock  the  next 
morning.  As  soon  as  we  had  bathed,  Maharaja  took 
me  out  for  a  ride.  I  hardly  knew  Baroda  again ; 
when  we  left,  it  was  all  brown  and  baked  up,  and 
now  it  is  beautifully  green.  Grass  is  growing  every- 
where, even  on  the  roads,  and  the  track  on  the  race- 
course is  now  lovely  turf  instead  of  dry  earth.  The 
fertile  country  seems  to  have  burst  into  a  chorus  of 
thanksgiving  for  the  blessing  of  the  rain,  and 
prosperity  and  happiness  are  assured  for  another  year 
at  least. 


280 


AUGUST 

WE  are  staying  this  month  at  the  Makarpura 
Palace,  which  is  four  miles  away  from  Baroda 
along  a  well-made  road,  perfectly  straight,  with  a 
stream  of  water  flowing  in  a  conduit  on  one  side,  so 
that  it  can  always  be  kept  well  watered,  and  a  riding 
track  on  the  other.  I  drove  over  with  Maharaja  in 
the  morning,  Maharani  came  in  the  afternoon,  and 
everyone  else  turned  up  in  the  course  of  the  day. 

In  the  evening  as  I  was  coming  back  from  my  ride, 
I  passed  a  curious  procession  which  was  just  arriving 
at  the  palace.  First  came  a  troop  of  Lancers  with 
two  kettledrums,  and  then  six  men  on  foot  bearing 
an  empty  litter  covered  with  flowers.  When  we 
met  at  dinner  I  asked  what  it  was  all  about.  Shiva- 
jirao  smiled  and  said,  "  Lares  et  Penates,"  at  which 
Her  Highness  looked  rather  annoyed  and  said  with 
some  emphasis,  "  No,  Mr.  Weeden,  not  household 
gods."  She  did  not  vouchsafe  any  further  explana- 
tion, but  it  was  evidently  some  symbol  of  royalty 
which  was  accompanying  them  on  their  change  of 
residence,  and  which  can  have  a  procession  all  to 
itself  without  giving  them  the  trouble  of  joining  in. 

281 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 

Her  Highness  is  very  religious,  and  if  they  were 
the  sacred  images  from  her  private  chapel  she  would 
not  care  to  have  them  made  a  subject  of  secular 
conversation. 

The  entrance  to  the  palace  is  through  an  archway 
under  a  lofty  gate-tower ;  on  either  side  of  the  broad 
drive  are  beautiful  gardens  rilled  with  palms  and 
flowers,  among  which  are  some  beautiful  pieces  of 
sculpture,  notably  two  gigantic  bulls  in  bronze,  the 
work  of  a  celebrated  French  sculptor.  In  front  of 
the  two  principal  porches  are  fountains  playing  into 
large  basins  made  of  green  tiles.  The  wing  on  the 
left  belongs  to  the  Gaekwar,  that  on  the  right  to  the 
Maharani,  and  they  are  connected  by  a  long  covered 
corridor  behind  which  rises  a  round  tower,  which  can 
be  seen  many  miles  away  above  the  tree-tops. 

The  front  of  the  palace  is  of  red  brick  faced  with 
stone,  and  is  a  modern  addition ;  but  at  the  back  the 
original  building  has  been  left  untouched  and  the 
quaint  galleries  and  staircases  of  carved  wood  are 
very  picturesque. 

Behind  the  house  the  exquisite  gardens,  the  work 
of  an  expert  from  Kew,  extend  for  many  acres,  and 
are  too  beautiful  for  me  to  attempt  to  describe  them. 
The  most  striking  thing  in  them  is  a  magnificent  con- 
servatory of  carved  marble,  over  a  hundred  yards 
long  and  with  two  broad  transepts  springing  from  a 
central  dome,  filled  with  lofty  palms  and  rare  ferns. 
Beyond  the  tennis  and  croquet  lawns  is  a  bandstand, 

282 


AUGUST 

which    Maharaja  uses  in    the    morning  as  a  study  and 
in  which  we  frequently  dine  in  the  evening. 

A  charming  feature  of  the  grounds  is  the  large  lake, 
on  which  many  pelicans,  flamingoes  and  swans,  black 
and  white,  have  their  home.  Chinese  bridges  with 
pagodas  in  the  middle  of  them,  painted  with  red,  green 
and  gold,  lead  to  a  large  rockery,  the  favourite  haunt 
of  a  number  of  white  peacocks,  from  the  top  of 
which  you  get  a  fine  view  of  the  palace  and  gardens ; 
and  beyond  it  again  is  a  large  garden  sunk  deep 
beneath  the  level  of  the  ground,  where  paths  of  red 
sandstone  covered  with  ferns  and  Alpine  plants  afford 
a  cool  retreat  in  the  hottest  weather. 

If  you  want  to  be  still  cooler  you  have  only  to  go 
to  the  large  covered  swimming-bath,  varying  from 
three  to  ten  feet  in  depth,  complete  with  spring- 
board, water-chute  and  comfortable  dressing-rooms ; 
and  there  is  also  a  large  theatre,  in  which  companies 
from  Baroda  sometimes  give  performances  in  the 
evening.  Beyond  the  pleasure  grounds,  as  the  house 
agents  love  to  call  them,  is  a  spacious  zoological 
garden,  in  which  emus,  antelopes,  ostriches  and  wild 
boars  roam  at  will.  The  hippopotamus  tank  is  empty 
at  present,  the  last  occupant  having  inconsiderately 
died — a  way  animals  have  in  India. 

The  other  day  a  new  beast  arrived,  a  handsome 
reindeer  white  as  milk.  I  saw  him  come  and  told 
them  in  the  evening  that  I  had  never  seen  a  more 
beautiful  animal ;  so  next  morning  Maharani  set  off 

283 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

with  me  to  have  a  look  at  him.  Alas !  some  brilliant 
under-keeper  had  left  a  tap  running  during  the  night, 
and  all  that  Her  Highness  saw  was  a  disreputable 
object  covered  with  black  mud.  With  native  servants 
about  you  must  never  raise  your  hopes  too  high. 

The  greatest  joy  of  the  gardens  are  the  pelicans ; 
they  will  waddle  contentedly  after  you  all  the 
afternoon,  hoping  to  be  fed  with  bread,  and  love  to 
be  stroked  on  their  long,  absurd  beaks.  One  of  them — 
we  call  him  Billy — has  grown  so  tame  that  it  is  one 
man's  work  to  keep  him  out  of  the  house ;  he  walks 
up  the  steps  as  though  the  whole  place  belonged  to 
him,  and  flutters  away  in  a  great  temper  when  he  is 
denied  admission. 

For  the  last  week  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Meade  have 
been  staying  here  with  their  son  Dick  and  their  niece 
Mrs.  Chitty,  a  beautiful  and  charming  lady  whom  I 
met  in  Bangalore.  She  has  a  dear  little  girl, 
Kathleen,  who  is  followed  about  everywhere  by  her 
devoted  attendant  Pickle,  a  rough-haired  terrier. 
During  their  visit  we  have  been  very  gay  with  garden- 
parties  and  dinners,  Maharaja  sending  the  cars  into 
Baroda  for  the  convenience  of  his  guests. 

We  have  been  dining  lately  in  Her  Highness' 
apartments  and  coming  over  afterwards  to  the  large 
drawing-room,  which  is  on  Maharaja's  side  of  the 
house. 

The  Colonel  is  a  good  bridge-player  and  we  have 
great  battles  every  evening,  he  and  Maharani  taking 

284 


AUGUST 

on  the  Gaekwar  and  myself  and  usually  beating  us,  as 
Her  Highness  is  a  fine  player  and  never  forgets  a 
card.  Shivajirao  and  Dick  Meade  betake  themselves 
to  the  billiard-room,  where  we  join  them  later,  and 
the  more  frivolous  members  of  the  party  troop  off  to 
the  Durbar  hall,  a  large  empty  room,  where  they  play 
games  of  a  very  amusing  nature  if  one  may  judge 
from  the  shouts  of  laughter  which  we  hear  in  the 
distance. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Durbar  hall,  in  which 
are  some  interesting  portraits  of  former  rulers  by 
native  painters,  the  palace  is  furnished  in  modern 
style.  Its  greatest  treasure  is  a  grand  picture  in  the 
drawing-room,  "  Judith,"  by  Benjamin  Constant. 

On  the  whole  I  like  being  here  better  than  at 
Lakshmivilas ;  it  is  not  so  splendid,  but  there  is  more 
comfort.  My  own  rooms  on  the  top  floor  on  the 
east  are  quite  delightful,  my  bedroom  and  dressing- 
room  facing  south  and  the  study  north,  and  there  is  a 
spacious  verandah  where  I  get  the  morning  sun  and 
which  is  beautifully  cool  in  the  afternoon. 

We  have  been  out  several  mornings  shooting,  and 
Her  Highness  is  as  keen  and  active  as  anyone? 
shooting  from  horseback  when  the  country  is  too 
rough  for  driving.  We  go  out  into  the  jungle  on  the 
side  away  from  Baroda,  where  there  is  plenty  of  game. 
Just  outside  the  big  wall  which  encloses  the  Makarpura 
"  compound  "  there  is  a  large  game  preserve  extending 
for  miles,  and  the  villages  are  few  and  far  between. 

285 


A   YEAR  rWlTH   THE   GAEKWAR 

Maharani  is  looking  wonderfully  well  after  her 
holiday,  with  a  rich,  warm  colour.  Indira  is  very 
busy  just  now  preparing  for  her  Matriculation 
examination,  which  comes  off  in  November.  She  reads 
all  the  morning  and  afternoon  with  Sampatrao's 
daughters  under  a  shady  tree  in  the  garden. 

Cricket  is  now  in  full  swing  and  we  have  matches 
nearly  every  day,  for  which  we  go  into  Baroda.  It  is 
extraordinary  how  much  the  game  appeals  to  the 
native  mind :  on  every  bit  of  level  ground  small  boys 
may  be  seen  playing,  and  there  is  always  a  big  crowd 
at  the  matches  when  the  cricket-ground  is  open  to 
the  general  public.  The  match  against  the  Deccan 
College  from  Poona  was  won  by  twenty-two  runs,  and 
some  of  the  other  matches  have  had  close  finishes. 
The  visiting  teams  are  put  up  at  the  guest-house,  and 
there  is  a  capital  lunch  every  day  in  the  big  hall  of 
the  Maharaja's  School.  Shivajirao  makes  a  splendid 
captain  and  is  very  popular  with  his  team,  who  are  all 
great  enthusiasts." 

The  most  amusing  feature  of  the  garden-parties  is 
the  "  Parrot  Sports,"  as  they  are  called  on  the 
programme.  An  ingenious  Mohammedan  has  trained 
some  twenty  small  green  parrots  to  do  a  number  of 
tricks,  and  as  they  perform  very  well  it  is  amusing  to 
watch  them.  One  of  them  rides  a  bicycle,  another 
fires  off  a  gun,  ramming  in  the  charge,  pouring  in 
the  powder,  and  then  applying  the  match,  and  is 
always  in  a  great  flutter  when  the  explosion  takes 

286 


AUGUST 

place.  Another  shoots  at  a  target  with  bow  and 
arrows,  while  two  of  them  go  through  a  most  comical 
gymnastic  performance.  The  best  of  it  is  that  they 
all  seem  to  enjoy  it  so  much ;  they  are  just  like  a  lot 
of  small  children  who  have  been  taught  to  do  a  little 
play,  quite  happy  and  excited. 

Other  men  bring  cocks  for  cock-fighting,  and  quails 
too,  which  fight  even  more  fiercely ;  they  are  so  quick 
in  their  movements  that  they  seem  only  to  be  flying 
over  one  another's  heads  until  you  see  the  feathers 
flying  about.  The  hen  birds  are  placed  near  in  cages, 
and  urge  on  the  combatants  with  shrill  cries,  often 
knocking  the  cages  over  in  their  excitement. 

These  games  are  a  source  of  great  interest  and 
amusement  to  Kathleen  Chitty  and  to  Indomatti  and 
Lakshmi  Devi,  who  have  come  out  here  to  keep  her 
company.  Kathleen  jumps  about  and  claps  her  hands 
with  delight,  but  the  two  little  Indian  girls  look  on 
with  wide,  wondering  eyes  and  serious  faces.  They  are 
enjoying  it  just  as  much  as  she  is,  but  they  are  not  so 
demonstrative. 

Mrs.  Chitty  is  Irish,  full  of  life  and  fun,  and  as  it 
generally  falls  to  my  lot  to  look  after  her,  I  have  a 
very  good  time.  One  evening  at  dinner  she  asked  me 
what  Maharaja's  nickname  was,  as  she  was  sure  I  had 
given  him  one  by  this  time.  The  Gaekwar  pricked 
up  his  ears,  and  when  I  said  that  I  had  often  tried  to 
think  of  one  that  would  fit  him  but  had  not  been 
successful  he  gave  a  grim  smile,  as  who  should  say. 

287 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

k  Lucky  for  you,  my  boy,  that  you  have  not."  These 
Indians  do  not  seem  to  lend  themselves  to  nicknames 
so  readily  as  we  do.  Shivajirao  often  calls  Sanka  Wagh, 
"  tiger,"  but  it  is  really  only  his  surname. 

I  was  very  sorry  when  our  guests  left  us.  On  the 
last  night  of  their  visit  we  went  into  Baroda  to  see  a 
travelling  circus.  Some  of  the  horses  were  very  clever, 
but  it  was  all  very  much  like  the  same  kind  of  show 
in  England.  The  most  original  "  turn  "  was  an  elephant 
who  rode  a  huge  tricycle  with  a  lion  strapped  on  to 
his  back ;  neither  of  them  seemed  quite  happy 
about  it. 

At  the  end  they  put  up  a  flimsy-looking  iron  cage 
in  the  arena  and  then  filled  it  with  a  van-full  of 
tigers ;  a  man  then  entered  the  cage  with  a  whip  and 
made  the  tigers  jump  through  hoops  blazing  with 
petroleum.  Some  of  the  tigers  were  rather  nasty  about 
it,  and  I  think  he  must  have  been  relieved  when  he 
came  out  again  safely.  The  place  was  not  very  large, 
and  as  our  seats  were  right  in  the  front  I  have  had 
enough  of  wild  animals  to  last  me  for  some  time. 
There  was  a  most  appalling  band,  but  the  lions  were 
merciful  and  we  did  not  hear  much  of  it. 

As  many  of  the  ladies  are  keen  on  croquet  but  have 
not  much  idea  how  to  play  it,  an  exhibition  match 
was  arranged  one  afternoon  between  Turnbull  and 
myself,  and  everyone  was  invited  to  watch  it. 

A  tent  was  put  up  for  refreshments  and  the  band 
gave  a  selection  of  music.  The  court  was  in  perfect 

288 


AUGUST 

order,  and  the  more  intelligent  of  the  boys  in  green 
and  gold  were  placed  round  it  to  field  the  balls.  We 
played  the  best  of  three  games,  and  as  Turnbull 
nearly  always  beats  me  I  quite  expected  him  to  win 
the  match. 

In  the  first  game  I  never  had  a  look  in  and  he  won 
it  by  twenty-eight  points.  The  second  game  was  a  very 
good  one  and  I  only  secured  it  by  the  narrow  margin 
of  three  points,  after  pegging  out  his  rover  ball.  In 
the  last  game  he  was  well  ahead  and  looked  like 
winning.  At  last  I  was  left  with  a  long  shot  and  six- 
teen points  to  make,  but  the  balls  were  in  such  a 
position  that  I  told  the  Maharani  that  a  good  player 
might  get  out  in  the  next  turn  if  he  shot  in,  without 
dreaming  for  a  moment  that  I  could  do  it.  However 
the  unexpected  happened,  and  after  peeling  my 
partner  ball  through  the  last  two  hoops  I  secured 
the  game  and  the  match. 

Their  Highnesses'  eldest  son,  Prince  Jaisinhrao,  has 
arrived  for  just  a  short  visit  from  America,  where  he 
is  at  Harvard,  and  Maharani,  who  is  very  fond  of  him, 
is  delighted.  He  is  as  different  as  possible  from 
Shiva jirao,  rather  small  and  very  slight,  and  not  so 
handsome.  He  is  not  very  keen  on  games,  and  seems 
to  find  the  heat  rather  trying.  He  has  become  very 
American  in  all  his  ways  and  even  speaks  with  a  pro- 
nounced American  accent,  much  to  the  Maharaja's 
surprise  and  horror,  though  I  don't  know  what  else 
he  could  expect. 

289  19 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

The  Harvard  friend  whom  he  has  brought  with 
him  is  a  very  unconventional  person  and  plays  the 
part  of  the  bull  in  the  china-shop  from  morning  till 
night.  At  tennis  he  wields  his  "  club,"  as  he  calls  his 
racquet,  with  more  energy  than  skill,  and  he  makes  us 
all  skip  around  in  the  most  bewildering  way — a  regular 
Yankee  at  the  Court  of  King  Arthur.  In  order  to 
secure  a  little  peace  the  Gaekwar  has  offered  to  stand 
him  a  tour  through  Northern  India,  and  he  is  now 
making  things  hum  at  the  Privy  Purse  offices  and 
teaching  the  fat  clerks  who  throng  that  sacred  building 
to  sit  up  and  hustle. 

The  Gaekwar  has  lately  taken  a  fancy  to  having  a 
good  many  Americans  in  his  service.  One  of  them 
is  Miss  McLean,  the  lady  who  reads  with  Her 
Highness  for  an  hour  or  two  every  day  and  spends 
the  rest  of  her  time  learning  to  ride  a  horse,  to  which 
she  is  passionately  attached  and  which  she  is 
commonly  supposed  to  feed  with  her  own  fair  hands 
out  of  a  silver  bucket.  She  is  clever  and  amusing, 
and  has  established  a  kind  of  salon,  where  a 
Mohammedan  Judge,  the  Court  Painter,  the  Artistic 
Adviser  and  the  Director  of  Commerce  meet  to 
discuss  tea,  music  and  kindred  topics.  The  last  named 
is  also  an  American  and  is  continually  devising  new 
schemes  for  bringing  Baroda  up  to  date.  His  latest 
inspiration  has  been  to  buy  up  all  the  discarded  tram- 
ways from  Bombay  and  galvanize  them  into  life  here, 
line,  cars,  horses  and  all.  The  streets  of  the  city  are 

290 


AUGUST 

hideous  with  creaking  wheels  and  clanging  bells,  and 
the  roads  are  up  in  every  direction,  for  the  system  is 
to  be  extended  into  the  country  for  the  benefit  of 
the  rural  population ;  which  means,  I  suppose,  that  so 
many  miles  of  rail  have  been  bought  and  have  to  be 
dumped  down  somewhere. 

This  new  departure  is  not  popular  with  the 
members  of  the  Lapait  Club,  whose  evening  drives 
have  become  impossible,  nor  has  it  received  the 
benediction  of  Sergeant-Ma j or  Faye,  the  Maharaja's 
coachman,  who  has  hard  work  to  prevent  his  horses 
from  catching  the  horrible  foot  disease  with  which 
the  Bombay  screws  are  infecting  the  streets. 

However,  in  spite  of  the  crowds  of  smug  natives 
who  prefer  sitting  packed  like  herrings  in  a  barrel  to 
the  trouble  of  walking  to  their  homes,  the  cars  are 
not  paying  their  way,  and  it  is  hoped,  by  no  one 
more  than  Maharaja  himself,  that  they  will  soon  be 
allowed  to  fall  to  pieces  altogether. 

It  is  rumoured  that  another  expert  from  America 
is  on  his  way  out  to  take  charge  of  the  Public 
Library,  and  if  he  succeeds  in  infusing  some  kind  of 
order  into  that  chaotic  department  he  will  certainly 
be  doing  something  to  justify  his  existence. 

There  is  a  magnificent  collection  of  books,  many 
splendid  volumes  brought  from  England  by  the 
Gaekwar,  which  are  housed  in  one  of  the  spacious 
halls  of  the  Old  Palace,  but  they  are  badly  arranged 
and  cared  for,  and  the  system  on  which  they  are 

291  19* 


A   YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

issued  to  the  public  is  so  imperfect  that  there  is  a 
serious  leakage,  which  grows  worse  every  day. 

The  present  librarian  is  one  of  those  unfortunate 
products  of  modern  educational  methods  who  have 
unbounded  confidence  in  their  own  powers  and  very 
little  knowledge  to  back  it  up.  Yesterday  when  I 
was  getting  some  books  from  the  library  he  came 
swaggering  up  to  give  me  his  views  on  an  article 
which  I  had  sent  a  few  days  before  to  the  Times  of 
India.  As  he  evidently  knew  nothing  whatever  about 
it,  I  asked  him  if  he  had  read  my  article.  "  No,"  he 
said,  "  I  have  not  yet  cast  my  eye  over  it,  but  I  am 
credibly  informed  that  it  contains  several  accuracies." 
I  thanked  him  for  his  very  pertinent  observation. 

With  men  of  this  kind  Maharaja  is  wonderfully 
patient,  but  he  knows  where  to  draw  the  line,  and 
woe  to  the  luckless  wight  who  has  deserved  his 
displeasure.  Soon  after  my  arrival  in  Baroda  I  asked 

him  what  had  become  of  K ,  one  of  the  secretaries 

who  travelled  with  us  in  Europe  and  who  gradually 
fell  a  victim  to  habits  of  intemperance.  "  He  is 
dead,"  said  his  Highness  laconically,  and  I  was  not 
greatly  surprised  to  hear  it.  So  I  was  rather  startled 
one  day  when  we  were  at  Mahableshwar  to  meet 

K in  the  street,  looking  remarkably  well  and 

flourishing,  a  very  fleshy  ghost.  He  greeted  me 
with  much  enthusiasm  and  when  we  parted  he  said 
with  great  amiability,  "  Be  so  kind  as  you  have  been, 
that  is  all."  I  told  Maharaja  that  he  must  have 

292 


AUGUST 

been  misinformed  about  K 's   death,  as  I  had  met 

him  that  afternoon  very  much  alive.  His  Highness 
was  much  amused  and  said  with  a  sweet  smile,  "  I 
meant  that  he  was  dead  politically."  So  far  as  he 
was  concerned  his  erring  subject  had  ceased  to  exist. 

We  have  had  a  good  deal  of  rain  lately.  Shiva- 
jirao  went  to  Bombay  two  days  ago  for  a  cricket 
match,  but  came  back  this  morning  as  it  had  been 
abandoned  on  account  of  the  weather,  and  yesterday 
it  never  stopped  raining  once.  It  does  not,  however, 
seem  a  bit  cooler,  and  indeed  this  muggy,  damp  heat 
is  the  most  trying  of  all.  Your  clothes  never  seem  dry 
and  everything  gets  rusty  or  covered  with  mould.  The 
pianos  are  all  out  of  tune  and  the  tennis-racquets  keep 
breaking  their  strings.  It  is  not  at  all  the  kind  of 
weather  for  letter-writing  ;  the  paper  is  damp  and  soft 
and  the  ink  runs  wherever  your  fingers  have  touched  it. 

Luckily  I  have  been  keeping  wonderfully  well  and 
have  escaped  the  epidemic  of  boils  from  which  so 
many  of  my  friends  are  suffering.  Maharaja  has  been 
ill  for  the  last  week  and  has  taken  refuge  in  Her 
Highness'  apartments,  where  I  visit  him  every  day. 
She  is  a  capital  nurse  and  looks  after  him  well, 
letting  him  grumble  as  much  as  he  likes  and  keeping 
him  constantly  amused.  While  he  has  been  on  the 
sick-list  the  services  of  the  chef  have  been  devoted 
entirely  to  him,  and  we  have  been  left  to  the  tender 
mercies — more  tender  than  their  meat — of  the  native 

293 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

cooks,  much  to  the  disgust  of  Shivajirao,  who  is  a  bit 
of  an  epicure. 

Some  of  the  dishes  on  their  menus  are  amusing 
reading.  The  other  day  we  had  "  Yam  Roasted," 
which  led  to  a  little  gambling.  I  backed  lamb, 
Shivajirao  ham,  and  Turnbull  jam !  We  were  all 
wrong,  as  it  proved  to  be  game — snipe  and  partridge. 
The  decorations  of  the  table  are  just  now  the 
favourite  resort  of  the  large  number  of  insects  which 
fly  into  the  house  in  this  weather.  The  large  green 
grasshoppers  are  very  beautiful,  and  we  make  them 
have  jumping  matches  by  touching  their  tails ;  and  a 
good  deal  of  fun  can  be  got  out  of  a  beetle 
imprisoned  in  a  wineglass. 

Lizards  dart  about  upon  the  walls  in  search  of 
unwary  victims,  and  there  is  altogether  rather  too 
much  animal  life  about  to  be  pleasant.  They  are 
quite  harmless  as  a  rule,  though  some  of  the  spiders 
will  bite  you  if  they  get  the  chance.  Outside,  as 
soon  as  the  tide  of  night  has  imperceptibly  covered 
the  land,  the  amorous  light  of  the  fireflies  begins  to 
throb  among  the  trees. 

As  darkness  comes  on  the  whole  country  is  covered 
by  these  living  sparks,  dancing  as  they  have  danced 
there  for  thousands  of  years.  As  you  drive  along  the 
road  you  see  them  quivering  in  the  grass  and  in  the 
bushes,  chasing  one  another  from  side  to  side,  and 
sometimes  in  their  flight  spreading  a  flaming  arch 
across  the  path. 

294 


AUGUST 

Meanwhile  swiftly  and  silently  the  grass  grows 
apace,  and  everywhere  there  are  women  cutting  it ; 
from  my  window  I  can  see  six  or  seven  of  them  at 
work,  crouching  like  large  red  poppies  among  the 
green.  They  ply  their  small  curved  knives  rapidly, 
and  soon  have  enough  to  make  a  large  bundle,  which 
they  secure  with  cord ;  leaning  back  against  it,  they 
grasp  it  with  hands  bent  over  the  shoulders  and  then 
with  a  great  muscular  effort  rise  to  their  feet  and 
move  slowly  away,  staggering  beneath  the  burden. 
They  are  away  so  long  that  they  must  have  to  carry 
it  some  considerable  distance.  A  few  labourers  with 
scythes  and  a  wagon  would  do  twice  the  work  in 
half  the  time  ;  but  that  is  not  the  way  in  India.  Like 
tiny  insects  that  build  islands  of  coral  till  they  rise 
above  the  surface  of  the  ocean,  the  myriads  of  India 
do  their  work  by  small  degrees,  slowly  and  impercep- 
tibly, but  surely. 

Just  now  one  of  the  wings  of  the  palace  is  being 
extended,  but  the  bricks  used  for  the  work,  instead 
of  coming  thundering  up  in  carts  behind  a  traction 
engine,  are  tied  in  neat  little  packets,  like  tea  or 
sugar,  on  to  the  backs  of  some  fifty  donkeys,  who 
wander  leisurely  along  with  them. 

The  Gaekwar  has,  indeed,  one  steam-roller  for 
mending  the  drives  in  the  compound,  and  sometimes 
it  is  sent  out  to  work  on  the  roads  in  the  city,  but 
it  always  looks  out  of  place  and  unhappy.  In  spite 
of  steam  and  electricity  and  motor  power,  the  chief 

295 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

work  of  this  vast  continent  must  ever  be  done  little 
by  little  by  the  countless  hordes  of  workers  who 
swarm  over  its  surface. 

In  this  labour  women  take  their  part  equally  with 
men,  and  for  every  pretty  girl  with  bright  eyes  and 
plump  limbs  there  are  a  hundred  crones  prematurely 
aged  by  a  life  of  toil,  who  trouble  themselves  no 
longer  to  draw  their  veils  over  their  withered,  wrinkled 
faces,  while  all  flesh  has  long  vanished  from  the  bony 
limbs,  over  which  the  skin  is  tightly  drawn  like 
parchment. 

Now  that  the  end  of  the  rainy  season  is  approach- 
ing, the  villagers  are  swarming  into  the  city  for  the 
Cocoanut  Festival ;  they  come  in  companies  twenty 
or  thirty  strong,  the  women  carrying  the  babies 
straddling  on  their  hips  and  the  family  baggage 
poised  upon  their  heads,  quite  content  to  play  the 
part  of  beast-of-burden  for  which  nature  has  designed 
them  ;  while  their  lords  follow  leisurely  behind,  protect- 
ing their  august  heads  against  rain  or  sun  with  the 
family  umbrella.  They  carry  with  them  the  cocoa- 
nuts  which  they  will  throw  into  the  river,  thence  to 
be  carried  to  the  sea,  so  that  the  gods  who  send  the 
rain  may  be  advertised  that  we  have  had  quite 
enough  of  it. 

Every  morning  during  the  festival  they  repair  to 
the  river  to  perform  ceremonial  ablutions,  and  the 
spot  chosen  is  a  very  beautiful  one,  where  the  river, 
winding  through  the  Public  Park  beneath  steep  banks 

296 


AUGUST 

covered  with  abundant  foliage,  passes  the  great  flights 
of  stone  steps,  extending  for  a  hundred  yards  along 
the  bank,  which  lead  from  the  bathing-place  to  a 
beautiful  group  of  temples,  whose  graceful  domes  are 
the  home  of  flocks  of  pigeons,  and  whose  sun-washed 
courts  are  planted  with  many  a  shady  tree. 

The  scene  is  so  bright  and  animated,  such  a 
continual  feast  of  form  and  colour,  that  you  can 
watch  it  for  hours  with  interest  from  the  opposite 
bank,  and  the  crowd  is  not  too  great  to  prevent  you 
from  following  the  movements  of  each  party  as  it 
arrives.  Some  of  the  women  are  timid  of  the  water 
and  wash  their  clothing  bit  by  bit,  crouching  on  the 
lowest  step  and  deftly  managing  to  observe  a  decorous 
demeanour  which  would  compare  favourably  with 
that  of  many  a  mixed-bathing  party  at  our  own  sea- 
side resorts  ;  others  will  venture  boldly  in  and  splash 
about  with  evident  enjoyment. 

It  is  like  watching  a  conjuring  trick  to  see  them 
exchange  their  wet  clothing  for  the  dry  garments  which 
they  have  brought  with  them  without  any  loss  of 
modesty  or  display  of  bare  limbs.  The  water  is  wrung 
from  the  wet  clothes,  which  are  then  laid  out  in  the 
temple  courts  to  dry  while  their  owners  make  an 
offering  at  the  shrine ;  and  as  they  walk  happily  away 
they  do  not  forget  the  needs  of  the  beggars  who  line 
the  roadside  for  nearly  a  mile,  and  many  pice  are 
mingled  with  the  streams  of  rice  and  sesame  which 
are  poured  into  the  sheet  spread  out  before  them. 

297 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

The  villagers  then  generally    make  their  way  to  the 
Museum,    sitting    outside    on    the  ground    for   hours 
until   their    turn    comes    to    be    admitted.     Parties    of 
thirty  are  let  in  every  quarter  of  an  hour  after  a  good- 
humoured  struggle  at    the  gates,  which  are  inexorably 
slammed  in  the  face  of  the  unsuccessful.     Once  inside, 
they   are    hurried    round    as    fast    as  possible   by    the 
attendants,   who  shout    out  "Jhelao"  (the  great  word 
in  India  for  making  people  move)  at   the  top  of  their 
voices  if  they  see  anyone  standing  still  for  a  moment. 
These  attendants  are  marvellously  stupid  and  have  left 
the    cases    of   exhibits    which    run  round    the  galleries 
still  covered  with  long  strips  of  green  baize,  which  slip 
down  into  the    hall   below  every  few  minutes  and  are 
then    brought    up    again    and    replaced    by  the    angry 
guardians  of  the  place,  who  seize  on  imaginary  offenders 
and  hustle  them  with    loud  cries  out  of  the    building, 
returning  just  in  time  to  see  another  long  strip  flutter- 
ing down  and  go  through  the  same  performance  again. 
The    sightseers   have    not    the  smallest    appreciation 
of  anything  that  they  look  at ;  their  one  idea  is  to  see 
everything,  and  their  eager  eyes  wander  restlessly  from 
one   case  to  another  so   that   nothing  may  be  missed. 
When  they    get    outside    probably  only   three    of    the 
thousands  of  objects   their  eyes  have  rested  on  remain 
in  their  minds.     One  is  a    beautiful  recumbent    statue 
of  Eve  by  an  Italian  artist,  on  the  grand  staircase,  at 
which  the  men  giggle  rather  shamefacedly,    while    the 
women  are  at  no  pains  to  conceal  the  scorn  they  feel 

298 


AUGUST 

for  such  an  abandoned  hussy.  By  the  time  they  have 
reached  the  stuffed  buffalo  calf  with  six  legs  and  two 
heads  they  are  all  ready  for  a  melancholy  smile. 

But  by  far  the  most  successful  feature  of  the 
Exhibition  is  the  life-size  plaster  cast  of  Professor 
Sandow.  I  stood  for  an  hour  with  the  greatest 
enjoyment  in  a  corner  of  the  gallery  just  above  it  to 
watch  its  effect  on  them  when  they  saw  it.  A  party 
would  come  wandering  along  with  absolutely  blank, 
expressionless  faces,  staring  at  everything,  understanding 
nothing.  Suddenly  one  of  the  women  turning  sharply 
round  the  corner  comes  face  to  face  with  Sandow.  At 
first  she  is  frightened  and  covers  her  face  with  her 
hands,  then  with  a  shrill  laugh  she  darts  back,  seizes 
her  husband  by  the  hand  and  drags  him  forward.  He 
grins  from  ear  to  ear,  and  with  eager  cries  they  call 
the  children  and  the  rest  of  the  party  to  look  at  the 
funny  man.  Soon  they  are  all  crowding  round  him, 
helpless  with  hilarity  and  deaf  to  the  shouts  of  the 
indignant  attendants,  who  run  forward  to  hustle  them 
on ;  but  their  faces,  which  were  so  sad  and  solemn 
when  they  entered  the  Museum,  are  covered  with 
smiles  and  gaiety  when  they  leave  it.  This  Sandow 
statue  is  the  most  valuable  thing  in  the  whole  place ; 
it  is  gradually  spreading  the  dawn  of  humour  over 
Baroda.  By  this  time  next  year  they  will  have 
forgotten  all  about  it  and  the  new  and  delightful 
sensation  will  be  repeated ;  but  in  the  course  of  two 
or  three  centuries  it  will  have  begun  to  exercise  an 

299 


A  YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

appreciable  effect  on  the  population,  and  the  Maharaja 
of  the  period  will  be  able  to  issue  an  order  for  the 
translation  of  Box  and  Cox  and  Charley's  Aunt  into 
the  vernacular. 

We  have  had  another  wedding :  a  young  Brahmin 
friend  of  ours  called  Bhate  has  married  a  young 
widow,  an  unheard  of  and  unprecedented  event.  It 
has  caused  a  great  sensation,  and  if  they  had  not  had 
the  moral  support  of  the  Maharaja  they  would  not 
have  found  a  priest  to  marry  them  and  would  have 
been  obliged  to  go  to  the  Registrar,  if  such  an  official 
exists. 

Bhate,  who  is  a  handsome,  intelligent  man,  is  in 
charge  of  one  of  the  Districts,  for  though  he  is  a 
Brahmin  by  caste  he  does  not  exercise  any  priestly 
functions.  When  he  is  in  Baroda  he  often  joins  our 
tennis-parties  and  comes  out  with  the  Lapait  Club. 
So  Maharaja  attended  the  wedding  himself,  and 
several  Brahmins  were  present  to  tie  the  knot.  Like 
Baba's  wedding  it  was  "  fully  choral " — native  music 
inside  the  house,  a  military  band  outside,  and  the 
priests  doing  their  best  for  any  sportsman  who  had 
backed  them  for  a  place. 

It  recalled  the  dear  old  days  at  East  Ham,  when 
we  used  to  christen  batches  of  screaming  infants  to 
the  strains  of  "Tis  done,  that  New  and  Heavenly 
Birth"  from  the  choir  and  of  "Hold  the  Fort"  from 
the  Salvation  Army  band  round  the  corner.  When 
the  ceremony  was  over  and  the  bride  had  gone  home 

300 


AUGUST 

we  all  adjourned  to  Raj  Mahal,  where  breakfast  was 
served  in  one  of  the  large  rooms  lent  by  the  Gaekwar 
to  the  bride's  father,  who  was  the  giver  of  the  feast, 
and  who  therefore  did  not  partake  of  it  himself,  but 
walked  about  among  his  guests  to  attend  to  their 
wants  and  receive  their  congratulations.  Everyone 
was  enthusiastic,  and  several  speeches  were  made  full 
of  flowery  metaphors  about  breaking  the  fetters  of 
superstition  and  making  smooth  the  path  of  liberty. 

Sampatrao  and  a  few  more  ardent  spirits  gave  a 
garden-party  at  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning  in  the 
Public  Park  in  the  bridegroom's  honour,  and  he  was 
there  looking  radiant  and  playing  tennis  with  great 
vigour.  The  path  of  liberty  has  not  yet  made  enough 
progress  to  enable  Mrs.  Bhate  to  be  present.  She  is 
a  very  lucky  girl,  as  instead  of  being  condemned  to 
lifelong  seclusion  and  misery  she  may  now  enjoy  a 
happy  and  useful  life,  thanks  to  the  wise  and  enlight- 
ened policy  of  the  Gaekwar,  in  which  he  is  strongly 
supported  by  Her  Highness  and  Indira. 

Brilliant  and  gay  are  the  colours  with  which  the 
web  of  life  in  India  is  woven,  but  through  them  all 
runs  a  dark  thread  of  tragedy  and  sorrow.  It  is 
wisely  hidden  away  as  far  as  possible,  but  during  the 
last  month  it  has  been  only  too  much  in  evidence. 
Miss  Clarke,  who  spent  Christmas  with  us  here,  keenly 
alive  to  all  the  intellectual  and  physical  joys  of  life, 
has  fallen  a  victim  to  a  brain  fever.  She  was  much 

301 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

beloved  by  the  native  population  and  her  loss  has 
been  keenly  felt  by  the  whole  community.  The 
vernacular  papers  are  full  of  lamentation  at  her  loss, 
and  although  it  is  contrary  to  etiquette  for  the 
Gaekwar  to  mourn  for  anyone,  even  for  members  of 
his  own  family,  he  has  been  deeply  affected  by  her 
untimely  death. 

In  Southern  India  great  sympathy  is  felt  for  the 
Governor  of  Madras  and  Lady  Lawley,  whose  son  was 
found  lying  with  his  neck  broken  in  one  of  the 
ravines  among  the  downs  at  Ooty,  where  two  months 
ago  we  used  to  follow  the  hounds  together. 

Another  very  nice  man.  Captain  Dawes,  whom  we 
met  at  Bangalore,  has  just  been  drowned  in  the 
Cauvery  River  after  saving  the  life  of  a  coolie  who 
had  fallen  into  the  water  among  the  rapids,  an  act 
of  self-sacrifice  all  the  more  heroic  as  he  leaves 
behind  him  a  charming  wife  and  two  dear  little 
boys.  It  ought  to  do  much  to  strengthen  the  ties  of 
mutual  esteem  and  devotion  which  bind  native  and 
Englishman  together. 

But  what  has  affected  me  most  of  all  is  the  death 
of  dear  Studdy,  who  was  fatally  injured  while  playing 
polo  at  Poona.  He  was  the  man  who  was  so  awfully 
kind  to  me  at  Ooty  and  entertained  me  so  hospitably 
at  the  Coonoor  Club.  It  seems  too  terribly  sad  to 
be  true  ;  for  not  only  was  he  a  splendid  soldier  and 
a  capital  sportsman,  the  most  popular  man  in  his 
regiment  and  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him,  but  he 

302 


AUGUST 

was  engaged  to  be  married  to  one  of  the  sweetest 
girls  in  India.  To  see  them  together  was  to  under- 
stand what  happiness  may  be,  and  it  is  dreadful  to 
think  that  now  for  her,  at  least,  it  has  all  been 
changed  to  the  most  bitter  sorrow. 

Truly  the  ways  of  Providence  are  inscrutable.  So 
many  useless  people  who  would  never  be  missed  go 
on  cumbering  the  ground,  while  those  who  are  a 
credit  to  their  race  and  a  benefit  to  mankind  are 
taken  away.  All  that  we  can  do  is  to  try  to  believe 
that  those  whom  the  gods  love  die  young,  and  that 
some  day  we  shall  understand.  But  when  I  hear  of 
the  death  of  a  man  like  that  it  makes  me  feel  almost 
ashamed  to  go  on  living.  What  a  glorious  profession 
the  army  is !  You  always  know  exactly  what  you 
have  to  do,  which  is  so  much  in  life  ;  and  you  have 
the  chance  of  laying  down  your  life  for  your  ideal, 
which  is  the  only  desirable  form  of  death.  The  same 
opportunity  for  obedience  and  renunciation  is  given 
to  one  in  the  Church,  but  it  needs  a  great  soul  to 
grasp  it. 

I  must  stop  or  I  shall  make  you  as  melancholy  as 
I  am  feeling  myself.  To-morrow  we  leave  Makarpura 
for  Raj  Mahal,  the  first  of  many  partings  which  are 
now  drawing  so  close.  I  try  not  to  anticipate  them, 
but  these  sad  events  have  done  much  to  reconcile  me 
to  the  thought  of  leaving  India,  and  it  will  be  almost 
a  relief  when  it  is  all  over. 


303 


SEPTEMBER 

T  T  is  nearly  a  year  ago  since  I  promised  to  send 
you  a  description  of  some  of  the  principal  sights 
of  Baroda,  but  so  much  has  happened  since  then  that 
they  have  been  crowded  out.  During  the  last  few  days 
I  have  been  visiting  them  again,  curious  to  see  if  they 
would  impress  me  as  much  as  they  did  when  I  first 
saw  them,  when  everything  was  strange  and  marvellous, 
and  I  am  not  a  little  pleased  to  find  how  really  remark- 
able many  of  them  are. 

I  must  often  have  spoken  of  the  Public  Park  and 
Zoological  Gardens,  of  which  any  city  in  Europe  might 
be  proud.  They  were  laid  out  with  great  skill  by  an 
Italian  on  either  side  of  the  winding  river,  and  large 
though  they  are,  they  appear  as  large  again.  Green 
lawns  bordered  by  groves  of  palms  and  feathery 
bamboos  slope  down  to  the  river  banks ;  the  turf  is 
bejewelled  with  bright  tropical  flowers,  and  monkeys 
freely  disport  themselves  amongst  the  trees.  Hand- 
some stone  bridges  span  the  river  in  several  places, 
and  after  dark  large  electric  globes  illuminate  the 
principal  avenues  and  the  large  circular  garden  which 
surrounds  the  bandstand. 

304 


SEPTEMBER 

The  band  plays  here  on  two  evenings  in  the  week, 
and  we  often  drive  down  to  hear  it,  and  to  have  the 
opportunity  of  a  chat  with  Indira,  whose  carriage  is 
nearly  always  standing  at  some  short  distance  away,  an 
object  of  respectful  curiosity  to  the  groups  of  natives 
who  are  strolling  about  with  their  families  and  enjoy- 
ing the  selections  of  European  and  Indian  music 
which  are  being  played. 

The  beautiful  artificial  lakes  are  the  home  of  birds 
from  all  parts  of  the  globe,  and  their  cages  are  placed 
amongst  the  luxuriant  foliage  all  over  the  gardens. 
Some  of  the  wild  animals  have  large  enclosures  in  which 
to  roam,  others  have  spacious  cages,  some  of  which  are 
beautifully  arranged,  especially  those  of  the  crocodiles 
and  the  bears.  The  lions,  tigers  and  leopards  are 
under  the  charge  of  a  native,  who  fearlessly  enters 
their  cages  and  makes  them  do  whatever  he  pleases. 
Like  the  fascinating  boy  in  Kipling's  story,  he  has 
learnt  their  language  and  been  made  free  of  their 
haunts. 

There  are  several  handsome  buildings  in  the  Park, 
chief  amongst  them  the  Museum,  which  contains  a 
great  variety  of  interesting  objects  admirably  arranged 
for  educational  purposes.  Besides  its  art  treasures, 
which  are  very  considerable,  it  comprises  natural  his- 
tory, chemistry,  mineralogical  and  anatomical  sections. 
Two  long  wings  meet  in  a  large  central  hall,  from 
which  a  broad  staircase  leads  to  the  spacious  galleries 
which  surround  the  building.  It  is  in  every  way 

305  20 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

superior  to  the  Museum  which  impressed  me  so  much 
at  Jaipur. 

In  the  Art  Gallery,  which  is  also  in  the  Park, 
are  modern  pictures  and  copies  of  some  of  the  Old 
Masters.  There  are  also  many  statues  and  casts  from 
classical  masterpieces,  nearly  all  of  which  have  been 
collected  by  the  Maharaja  during  his  European  travels. 

Facing  the  spacious  lawn-tennis  courts  is  a  pavilion 
which  was  used  by  His  Highness  during  the  Coronation 
Durbar  at  Delhi.  It  was  all  made  in  sections  in 
Baroda  so  that  it  might  be  quickly  erected  in  the 
Gaekwar's  camp,  which  was  acknowledged  to  be  the 
best  there.  On  his  return  His  Highness  presented  it 
to  the  citizens. 

Most  of  the  ground  between  the  Park  and  the 
Railway  Station  is  occupied  by  the  College  and  its 
boarding  houses,  which  are  growing  in  number  every 
year.  At  present  there  are  about  nine  hundred 
students,  and  women  are  allowed  to  attend  the  lectures. 
The  College  itself  is  a  fine  building  with  a  lofty 
dome  under  which  is  the  lecture  hall.  The  class-rooms 
are  large  and  airy  :  those  on  the  upper  floor  are  for 
the  students  of  the  College,  those  below  accommodate 
the  Boys'  High  School. 

The  College  works  in  connection  with  the  University 
of  Bombay.  Boys  begin  their  education  very  young 
and  matriculate  after  six  or  seven  years,  while  a  B.A. 
degree  takes  another  four  years'  work.  Maharaja  took 
me  one  day  over  some  of  the  students'  quarters, 

306 


SEPTEMBER 

where  two  live  in  one  room  simply  furnished  with 
beds,  chairs  and  a  few  pegs  on  the  wall.  The  cost  is 
one  rupee  (is.  4d.)  a  month  for  lodging  and  food 
comes  to  about  fifteen  rupees  (£1}  a  month.  For  the 
course  of  teaching  at  the  College  the  fee  is  five 
rupees  a  month.  All  castes  and  all  religions  work 
quite  happily  together,  and  there  is  hardly  any 
friction.  The  only  difficulty  is  that  of  preparing  food 
for  the  different  sects  and  castes,  each  of  which  has 
its  meals  cooked  in  a  special  way. 

Across  the  great  stone  bridge  over  the  river  are 
two  large  hospitals,  one  for  civil  the  other  for 
military  cases,  both  of  them  model  institutions,  large, 
airy  and  well-arranged,  with  operating-rooms  and 
laboratories  containing  all  the  latest  modern  inventions, 
including  an  X-ray  apparatus. 

In  a  healthy  situation  on  the  outskirts  of  the  town 
rise  the  clean,  whitewashed  walls  of  the  Central  Gaol. 
In  the  middle  is  the  Governor's  house,  with  a  high 
tower  above  it  commanding  every  part  of  the 
enclosure,  and  radiating  from  it  are  the  cells  in  which 
the  prisoners  are  confined,  all  on  the  ground  floor, 
with  plenty  of  light  and  air. 

Each  man  has  his  own  room  with  a  bed  in  it,  and 
is  occupied  with  some  useful  craft  which  will  enable 
him  to  make  an  honest  living  when  he  returns  to 
the  outside  world,  and  there  are  larger  rooms  in 
which  those  convicted  of  minor  offences  work  together. 
There  are  a  few  convicts  with  life-sentences,  but  not 

307  20* 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE  GAEKWAR 

many ;  one  of  them  was  pointed  out  to  us,  a 
desperate  fellow  who  has  contrived  to  escape  on 
several  occasions — not  an  easy  thing  to  do,  as  the  high 
walls  surrounding  the  prison  are  constantly  patrolled 
by  warders  who  live  in  towers  at  the  four  corners. 
Each  time  he  was  easily  recaptured  a  few  weeks  after 
his  escape  in  the  old  haunts,  to  which  he  had 
returned.  He  seemed  quite  happy  and  absorbed  in 
his  work,  and  paid  no  attention  to  us. 

The  State  School  for  Girls  is  pleasantly  situated  on 
the  banks  of  the  large  tank  just  outside  the  city  walls. 
Here  we  saw  children  of  five  years  old  and  upwards 
studying  subjects  which  ranged  from  Kindergarten 
work  to  algebra.  One  or  two  were  married,  but  as  a 
rule  they  leave  before  this  happens.  Early  marriages 
interfere  fatally  with  the  education  of  women,  and 
are  in  consequence  greatly  deprecated  by  the  Maharaja, 
who  has  raised  the  marriage  age  of  girls  to  twelve 
years. 

As  in  the  College,  all  castes  and  creeds  meet  and 
learn  together  quite  amicably.  The  Technical  School, 
where  various  handicrafts  are  taught,  is  a  particular 
hobby  of  the  Gaekwar,  who  is  anxiously  striving  to 
revive  native  industries.  It  is  well  organized,  and 
every  facility  is  given  to  acquire  thorough  knowledge 
in  each  branch  of  technical  study. 

On  the  opposite  bank  of  the  tank  rises  the  stately 
pile  of  the  Courts  of  Justice,  the  smaller  courts  being 
grouped  round  a  large  and  lofty  hall,  in  which  there 

308 


SEPTEMBER 

is  a  beautiful  marble  statue  of  the  Maharaja's  first 
wife,  by  whose  munificence  the  building  was  erected. 
The  Judges  of  the  High  Court  are  all  exceptionally 
able  men,  and  the  administration  of  justice  in  Baroda 
is  conducted  with  the  same  solemnity  and  impartiality 
as  with  ourselves. 

Just  outside  is  a  pleasant  garden  planted  with  shady 
trees  where  the  band  plays  for  two  or  three  hours 
every  Saturday  evening,  to  the  great  delight  of  the 
native  population.  So  that  on  three  days  in  the  week 
the  Maharaja  foregoes  the  pleasure  of  hearing  his 
own  private  orchestra  in  order  that  his  subjects  may 
have  the  benefit  of  it. 

Another  admirable  institution  is  the  State  Bank, 
which  the  Gaekwar  has  recently  established,  with  a 
directorate  composed  entirely  of  Indians.  It  is  an 
important  factor  in  the  industrial  development  of 
Baroda,  where  the  economic  utility  of  banking  on 
modern  lines  has  hitherto  been  little  recognized. 

The  Old  Palace,  where  the  Gaekwar  lived  during 
his  minority  while  Raj  Mahal  was  being  built,  is  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  city.  It  is  a  large,  picturesque 
building  of  wood,  with  steep  staircases  and  long, 
rambling  galleries.  The  principal  portion  of  it 
contains  the  Public  Library,  another  part  serves  as  a 
guard-house,  and  certain  rooms  are  used  as  a  school 
for  very  small  children. 

Behind  it  rises  the  stately  pile  of  the  Nazarbag 
Palace,  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  garden.  It  is 

309 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

sometimes    used    for    entertaining    the    Maharajas    of 
other  States,    but  it    is  chiefly   interesting   as    housing 
the    Gaekwar's    famous  collection  of  jewels,    which  are 
worth    many   millions  of  pounds.      Properly    displayed 
under  glass  cases  in  a  fine  gallery,    they  would  attract 
every  visitor   who    comes    to    India ;    but    the    natural 
conservatism    of  the    native    mind    is  at  no  time   more 
in    evidence    that    when    any    form    of    wealth,     and 
especially    jewels,    is    concerned.      They    are    hoarded 
away  in    strong   rooms    and    safes    and    only    produced 
when  a  special  order  has  been  signed  by  the  Maharaja 
and    several   Heads  of   Departments,    so  that  it  is  not 
at  all  an  easy    matter   to  get  a  sight    of  them.      They 
are    then    brought    all    mixed  together   on  large    trays, 
which    are    utterly    confusing    to    a    stranger,    but    as 
familiar    to    the    army    of    clerks    who    spy    upon    one 
another  with  watchful,    eager  eyes  as  the  Catechism  is 
to  me.      They  were  shown  to  me  by  Sampatrao,  who 
caressed    them  with   loving  fingers,    as  a  lover    fondles 
his  mistress'  hair,  and  with  the  mysterious  smile  which 
you    always    see    on    the    face    of  a  native    when    he  is 
handling  money  or  its  equivalent. 

The  finest  thing  in  the  whole  collection  is  the 
Pearl  Necklace,  said  to  be  unrivalled  among  the 
world's  jewels,  and  valued  at  fifty  lacs  (£500,000). 
The  big  Diamond  Necklace,  which  is  worth  thirty- 
five  lacs,  contains  the  ninth  largest  diamond  in  the 
world,  the  Star  of  the  South,  which  was  originally 
part  of  the  Koh-i-Noor.  There  is  in  the  same  neck- 

310 


SEPTEMBER 

lace  another  stone,  which  is  much  finer  even  than  this, 
although  it  is  not  so  large.  There  is  also  a  black 
pearl  of  great  price,  and  an  earring  composed  of  the 
three  finest  pearls  in  the  world. 

Several  beautiful  diamond  aigrettes  for  the  turban 
are  set  on  springs,  so  that  the  least  movement  causes 
them  to  glitter,  and  many  of  the  pendants  are  very 
handsome.  There  are,  of  course,  hundreds  of  other 
things,  some  of  which  are  not  so  valuable  as  they  look, 
being  merely  diamond  shavings  to  form  the  numerous 
rings  with  which  Rajas  in  the  old  days  loved  to  cover 
every  finger  and  toe.  Blue  stones  are  conspicuous  by 
their  absence,  as  they  are  not  considered  at  all 
auspicious.  These  are  all  State  jewels,  handed  down 
from  generation  to  generation,  and  preserved  in  their 
traditional  settings.  The  Gaekwar's  private  collection 
may  not  be  so  intrinsically  valuable,  but  is  far  more 
effective  on  account  of  the  more  modern  way  in 
which  the  various  pieces  are  set,  though  even  then 
there  is  still  room  for  improvement. 

When  he  saw  that  I  was  beginning  to  weary  of 
this  display  of  wealth  beyond  the  dreams  of  avarice, 
Sampatrao  showed  me  an  extraordinary  piece  of  work 
which  he  had  left  as  a  bonne  bouche  till  the  end. 
Four  great  squares,  each  as  large  as  a  fair-sized  carpet, 
were  hung  on  the  walls,  apparently  of  tapestry. 
Closer  inspection  showed  that  they  consisted  entirely 
of  jewels — pearls,  emeralds,  rubies,  diamonds  and  so 
on — arranged  on  a  ground  of  rich  silk  to  form  a 

3" 


A  YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

design  like  that  of  some  brightly-coloured  piece  of 
needlework.  They  were  designed  as  a  canopy  for  the 
Tomb  of  the  Prophet  at  Medina  by  the  order  of 
Maharaja  Khande  Rao  Gaekwar,  who,  although  a 
Hindu,  was  a  great  admirer  of  Mohammedans.  Just 
before  the  gift  was  sent  out  of  the  country  the 
Maharaja  opportunely  died,  and  his  successors  did 
not  feel  bound  to  carry  out  his  wishes.  The 
value  of  the  canopy  itself  is  inconsiderable  com- 
pared with  that  of  the  four  cones  of  solid  gold 
covered  with  hundreds  of  diamonds  of  the  finest 
water  which  crown  the  posts  supporting  the  four 
corners. 

We  wandered  for  some  time  through  the  vast 
cellars  beneath  the  palace,  which  are  filled  with  cup- 
boards crammed  with  the  ancient  gold  and  silver 
vessels  and  ornaments  belonging  to  former  Maharajas. 
They  form  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  wealth  on 
which  the  Gaekwar  can  draw  when  he  is  in  the  mood 
for  a  little  more  household  plate.  They  are  just 
popped  into  the  melting-pot  and  sent  to  London, 
from  which  they  return  in  a  few  months  in  the  form 
of  a  new  dinner-service,  dressing-case,  or  whatever  it 
may  be. 

Across  the  road  is  the  antiquated  mud  building  in 
which  are  kept  the  guns,  two  of  gold  and  two  of 
silver,  which  were  cast  to  fire  the  salute  when  King 
Edward  visited  Baroda  during  his  Indian  tour.  They 
are  regarded  as  sacred  by  the  natives ;  a  small  guard 

312 


SEPTEMBER 

is  always  stationed  near  with  a  few  priests  in  attend- 
ance, and  flowers  and  incense  are  offered  to  them 
every  day. 

Each  gun  weighs  280  Ibs.  and  the  carriages,  ramrods 
and  other  instruments  used  for  artillery  are  all  of  the 
same  precious  metal  as  the  gun.  Each  is  drawn  by  two 
milk-white  bullocks,  whose  stables  are  on  one  side  of 
the  courtyard,  and  on  the  other  is  the  storehouse  for 
their  magnificent  harness  and  trappings,  including 
hundreds  of  little  gold  and  silver  bells,  which  tinkle 
gaily  as  they  move  along  in  State  processions,  the 
whole  turn-out,  with  the  guards  in  their  splendid 
uniforms,  forming  a  very  pretty  spectacle. 

But  for  sheer  barbaric  magnificence  and  splendour 
we  must  go  on  to  the  Elephant  Stables.  Here  round 
a  vast  enclosure  thirty  of  the  lordly  beasts  are  stabled, 
each  in  his  spacious  stall,  quiet  enough  except  for 
the  restless  movement  of  shuffling  feet,  flapping  ears 
and  waving  trunks,  with  which  they  cram  great 
bundles  of  hay  into  their  mouths  or  send  it  flying 
in  a  shower  over  their  backs.  At  the  word  of  com- 
mand they  raise  their  trunks  into  the  air  and  the 
courtyard  echoes  with  their  loud  trumpetings. 

One  very  old  beast  takes  life  very  quietly  now  that 
eighty  summers  have  passed  over  his  head,  but  most 
of  the  others  have  their  favourite  trick,  which  they 
seem  quite  pleased  to  show  for  your  benefit.  One 
smokes  a  pipe,  a  great  hubble-bubble,  with  evident 
enjoyment — it  is  a  treat  which  he  does  not  get  every 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

day ;  another  goes  through  dumb-bell  exercises  and  fences 
with  his  mahout,  each  of  them  carrying  a  shield  and  a 
wooden  sword ;  a  third  produces  weird  music  from  a 
mouth-organ  and  dances  heavily  about  to  the  sound, 
making  us  laugh  very  much. 

At  the  back  is  a  large  building  in  which  all  the 
elephants'  furniture  is  stored.  Oh,  how  I  wish  you 
could  see  it !  First  there  are  the  gold  and  silver 
howdahs  and  saddles  of  all  shapes  and  sizes ;  then 
huge  cupboards  full  of  the  splendid  hangings  of  cloth 
of  gold  which  reach  to  their  feet,  the  heavy  gold 
anklets  and  tusk  rings,  the  great  golden  bells  which 
ring  melodiously  as  they  move  along. 

The  golden  Ambari,  or  throne,  is  so  heavy  that  it 
takes  two  dozen  men  to  lift  it  on  to  the  elephant's 
back,  yet  he  rises  without  an  effort  as  though  it  were 
a  feather  bed.  Still  the  strain  of  carrying  it  for  some 
hours  in  the  hot  sun  is  great,  and  he  is  fed  for  a 
week  beforehand  on  sugar-cane  and  other  nourishing 
dainties,  with  a  pint  of  sherry  wine  to  cheer  him 
when  he  gets  home  again.  The  largest  elephant  with 
the  throne  on  his  back  and  all  his  finery  on  is  worth 
about  £200,000  as  he  stands,  so  you  may  imagine 
what  a  grand  sight  the  whole  thirty  of  them  must  be 
when  they  are  all  out  together. 

Near  the  stables  is  a  large  meadow,  in  which  the 
must  elephants  are  securely  fastened  to  trees.  Every 
elephant  has  these  periodical  fits  of  madness,  during 
which  he  is  very  dangerous.  There  are  several  signs 


SEPTEMBER 

by  which  the  keepers    know    when    one   is  coming  on, 
chiefly  a  gummy  trickling  behind  the  ear. 

The  other  day  when  we  were  there  seven  of  them 
were  on  the  sick  list.  One  of  these  was  quiet  enough 
and  was  even  rubbing  his  trunk  against  the  nose  of 
an  old  donkey  who  had  made  friends  with  him  ;  but 
the  others  were  throwing  about  great  clouds  of  straw 
and  dust,  and  two  of  them  were  very  fierce  indeed, 
straining  every  muscle  to  break  loose  from  their 
fetters  and  attack  us,  and  kicking  up  the  ground  all 
jound  them  for  stones  to  hurl  at  us,  and  it  was 
advisable  to  keep  well  out  of  range,  as  an  elephant 
can  throw  very  straight. 

Most  of  these  sights  I  had  the  pleasure  of  showing 
to  Orange,  who  was  up  with  me  at  New  College. 
He  is  now  Director-General  of  Education  in  India 
and  has  been  here  for  a  few  days  on  an  official  visit. 
It  was  delightful  to  see  him  again  and  to  hear  about 
many  Oxford  friends  whom  I  had  lost  sight  of.  It 
was  also  extremely  interesting  to  hear  some  of  his 
discussions  with  the  Maharaja  on  educational  subjects. 
Orange  was  much  struck  with  the  Gaekwar's  energetic 
personality  and  the  greatness  of  his  mind. 

What  a  pity  it  is  that  I  have  such  a  small  mind  ! 
The  Gaekwar  has  given  me  such  an  unique  oppor- 
tunity for  studying  native  life,  customs  and  habits, 
and  I  have  made  little  or  no  use  of  it.  As  I  look 
back  upon  the  past  year,  it  seems  to  be  full  of 
eating,  drinking,  sleeping  and  amusement.  One  sees 


A   YEAR   WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

and  laughs  at  so  many  little  things,  while  the  big 
things  which  ought  to  excite  admiration  pass  by 
unnoticed. 

For  instance,  if  you  were  to  ask  me  how  an 
educated  native  speaks  English,  I  should  think  at  once 
of  all  the  little  mistakes  he  makes,  and  tell  you  that 
he  says  "  Na "  when  he  should  say  "  No,"  that  he 
invariably  uses  "  one "  instead  of  the  indefinite  article 
("  His  Highness  has  been  pleased  to  give  me  one 
elephant,"  says  Sampatrao  with  great  complacency) ; 
if  invitations  are  being  issued  for  some  function,  he 
will  tell  you  that  you  are  "  called  "  to  it ;  he  will 
say  that  he  has  "  marked "  that  you  smoke  a  great 
many  cigarettes,  and  ask  you  where  you  "  stay "  in 
England  when  he  wants  to  know  where  you  live. 
For  all  our  little  interrogative  sentences,  "  Have 
you  ?  "  "  Did  he  ?  "  "  Really  ?  "  "  Oh !  "  he  has  sub- 
stituted, "  Is  it  ?  "  of  which  you  get  very  tired,  though 
not  so  tired  as  you  get  of  "  probably "  and  "  and  all 
that "  with  which  he  tries  to  conceal  the  lack  of 
variety  in  his  sentences.  And  yet  if  I  could  speak 
and  write  Mahratti  as  well  as  he  speaks  and  writes 
English,  I  should  count  myself  a  good  scholar.  And 
he  must  know  many  other  languages  also,  for  the 
Gaekwar  rules  a  conquered  race  whose  speech  is  not 
his  speech.  At  the  Court  Mahratti  is  spoken ;  in  the 
city,  Gujeratti. 

Not  the  least  difficult  of  the  Maharaja's  tasks  is 
that  of  treating  all  his  subjects  with  impartiality,  but 

316 


SEPTEMBER 

he  carries  it  out  admirably,  and  posts  and  offices  in 
State  and  Court  are  open  to  all  alike,  without  respect 
of  race  or  creed.  If  the  Mahratta  predominates,  it  is 
because  of  his  superior  ability  and  energy. 

We  are  now  more  energetic  than  ever.  Shivajirao 
has  fitted  up  the  large  room  at  the  top  of  the  palace 
beneath  the  central  dome  as  a  gymnasium  ;  the  floor 
is  covered  with  a  deep  layer  of  earth  and  sand,  and 
we  meet  there  every  morning  as  soon  as  we  get  up 
for  a  wrestling  match  under  the  instruction  of  two 
enormous  men,  who  are  the  best  wrestlers  in  Baroda. 

When  Shivajirao  has  disposed  of  me,  he  lets  me 
play  with  Indian  clubs  while  he  tackles  these  giants, 
and  though  he  is  not  yet  a  match  for  them,  he  shows 
great  promise  in  this  national  sport  and  is  becoming 
the  despair  of  his  London  tailor,  who  cannot  keep 
pace  with  his  increasing  measurements.  When  the 
Gaekwar  is  in  India  he  is  content  with  clothes  made 
in  Bombay;  but  they  are  not  good  enough  for  the 
younger  generation,  in  spite  of  the  difficulties  of 
reconciling  fit  with  fashion. 

Dharyashil  has  lately  been  writing  rather  pathetic 
letters  from  Eastbourne ;  he  has  just  gone  as  a  boarder 
to  the  College  and  is  feeling  homesick.  He  says 
that  he  is  doing  no  good  and  is  only  wasting  his 
father's  money.  "  Please  send  me,"  he  writes,  "  a  tiger- 
skin  for  the  dormitory,  as  you  know  the  boys  don't 
have  any  carpets ;  also  some  Indian  sweets  as  soon  as 
you  can,  as  I  want  them  rather  badly.  When  you 

317 


A   YEAR  WITH   THE   GAEKWAR 

receive  this  letter  you  will  be  in  the  room  next  to 
your  dressing-room.  All  that  part  of  the  palace  comes 
clearly  before  my  eyes.  If  only  it  were  possible  to 
fly  there  and  back  in  a  few  seconds,  I  should  do  so 
at  every  spare  moment ;  but  it  all  seems  quite  hopeless." 

Maharaja  laughs  and  says  that  he  is  all  right,  but 
Maharani  is  quite  concerned  about  him  and  is  making 
a  special  hamper  of  cakes  and  sweatmeats,  which  I  am 
to  take  with  me  when  I  go.  He  is  very  fond  of  a 
salt,  brittle  kind  of  biscuit  which  an  English  boy 
would  reject  indignantly. 

He  ought  to  be  happy  enough,  as  he  plays  cricket, 
football  and  racquets,  blows  a  bugle  in  the  Cadet 
Corps  and  rides  ["  But  oh !  "  he  said  last  winter,  "  it 
is  too  cold  for  riding."];  yet  I  daresay  there  are 
many  moments  when  his  blood  clamours  for  the 
brilliant  sunshine  and  the  aromatic  airs  of  his  native 
land.  The  sights,  the  sounds,  the  scents  of  India  are 
very  haunting,  and  at  the  sunset  hour  the  "  smell  of 
a  field  which  the  Lord  hath  blessed  "  takes  possession 
of  you  and  makes  you  its  own  for  ever.  I  should  not 
care  to  live  always  in  India,  but  the  thought  of 
leaving  her  makes  the  whole  heart  sick.  "  If  only  it 
were  possible  to  fly  there  and  back  in  a  few 
seconds ! " 

Well !  it  is  all  over.  The  "  time  of  my  life "  has 
come  to  an  end,  and  it  would  be  too  dreadful  if  I 
had  not  you  waiting  to  welcome  me  back  home. 
We  spent  the  last  evening  in  Maharani's  drawing- 


SEPTEMBER 

room,  and  they  were  all  so  sweet  and  good  and  kind 
that  it  made  the  parting  very  hard. 

The  Gaekwar  passed  his  arm  through  mine  and 
led  me  away,  and  before  we  passed  the  screen  I 
turned  round  for  one  last  look.  Mother  and  daughter 
were  standing  together  hand  in  hand,  two  gracious 
figures  symbolizing  all  the  beauty  and  wealth  and 
charm  of  India — all  the  goodness  I  have  received  from 
her,  all  the  love  I  bear  her.  Then  they  were  gone. 

The  Maharaja  took  two  or  three  turns  with  me  up 
and  down  the  corridor  where  we  had  so  often  walked 
together ;  but  it  was  too  painful,  and  with  a  warm 
pressure  of  the  hand  he  walked  quickly  away  to  his 
rooms.  A  lot  of  people  were  waiting  down  below  in 
the  hall,  the  three  Aides,  Dr.  Jadhav  and  Hingu- 
jirao,  Fardesai,  Morenas,  Mungal  Khan,  and  even  the 
distressful  billiard-marker,  salaaming  nervously  behind 
a  pillar,  all  with  beaming  faces  and  kind  words. 
Shiva jirao  was  waiting  with  the  wagonette  to  drive 
me  to  the  station,  a  last  meet  of  the  Lapait  Club — 
members  present :  Kaka,  Pila jirao,  Nimbalker,  Bhate 
and  Jagdali  Junior. 

For  the  last  time  we  bowled  along  the  broad 
avenues  of  the  palace  compound,  through  the  city 
sleeping  peacefully  in  the  moonlight,  over  the  silent 
waters  of  the  river  and  through  the  deserted  glades 
of  the  Public  Park. 

At  the  station  a  faithful  few  had  assembled, 
among  them  the  native  verger  of  the  English  Church, 

319 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE  GAEKWAR 

with  a  wreath  of  orange-blossoms  to  hang  round  my 
neck.  At  the  door  of  my  saloon  stood  the  smiling 
Sanka,  very  happy  because  Shivajirao  Maharaja  had 
given  him  leave  to  go  with  me  to  Bombay  and  see 
me  safely  on  board  the  India. 

The  last  farewells  were  said,  and  as  we  moved 
slowly  away  someone  struck  up  the  Baroda  National 
Anthem,  and  when  I  could  no  longer  see  the  faces  of 
my  friends,  I  could  still  hear  their  strong,  clear 
voices,  joining  in  the  melody  which  has  been  my 
parting  gift  to  the  country  which  has  treated  me 
with  such  splendid  hospitality,  and  which  I  love  so 
well: 

Long  may  the  Gaekwar  reign, 

And  peace  and  plenty  bless  him. 
Long  may  His  Highness  reign, 

And  ne'er  a  foe  distress  him. 
May  God  protect  his  land, 
And  grant  him  with  bounteous  hand 

Long  life  and  health 

And  joy  and  wealth. 
Long  may  the  Gaekwar  reign ! 

To  all  of  which  I  say  from  a  full  heart,  "  So  mote 
it  be." 


INDEX 


A.  B.  C..  102. 

Acrobats,  65. 

Agniakara,   14. 

Agra,  194. 

Ahalaya  Bai,  262. 

Ajmer,  176. 

Ajwa,  107. 

Alwar,  Maharaja  of,  263. 

Ambari,  the  golden,  157.  314. 

Amber,  191. 

Amboli,  233. 

Arena  Sports,   120. 

Art  Gallery,  306. 

Astrology,  213. 

BABA  SAHEB,  22,  113. 

Bahadarpur.  141. 

Bangalore,  236,  268. 

Baoli  Wells,  151.  y 

Baroda,  H.  H.  the  Maharaja 
Gaekwar  of,  i,  14,  19,  31,  39, 
51,  56,  67,  75,  83,  106,  126, 
148,  156,  169,  204,  242,  247, 
257,  287,  292,  309,  316,  318. 

Baroda,  H.  H.  the  Maharani  of, 
2«  J5-  57.  83,  86,  loo,  121, 
166,  206,  223,  243,  257,  258. 
270,  281,  285,  319. 

Baroda,  City  of,  47,  48,  290. 

Belgaum,  233. 

Bhate,  Mr.,  300,  319. 

Bombay,  8,  77,  221,  274. 

Bombay,  the  Bishop  of,  76,  225, 
272. 


Borsad,  151. 

Brahmins,  70,  141,  247,  300. 

Brinton,  Rev.  P.  R.,  76,  225, 
272. 

Buddhists  and  Hindus,  differ- 
ence between,  275. 

Burrows,  Mrs.,  89,  243. 

Burton,  Major,  91 

CAMBAY,  Gulf  of,  139. 

Camp,  life  in,  i39ff,  202. 

Canon-ffrome,  3. 

Carriages,  34. 

Charity  Concert,  215. 

Cheetahs,  26,  94. 

Chester,  3,  48. 

Chitorgahr,  185. 

Chitty,  Mrs.,  284,  287. 

Chitty,  Kathleen,  284,  287. 

Christmas,  103. 

Church,  English,  85,  106,  108. 

Clarke,  Sir  George,  Governor  of 

Bombay,  102,  104. 
Clarke,  the  late  Miss,    102,  104, 

301. 

Cocoanut  Festival,  296. 
College,  The,  306. 
Coonoor,  259. 
Cricket,  20,  286. 
Croquet,  260,  288. 

DABHOI,  140. 

Dawes,  the  late  Capt.,  302. 

Delhi,  193. 


321 


21 


A  YEAR  WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 


Dentist,  lunatic,  i88> 
Dentist's  dilemma,  273. 
Dharyashilrao  Gaekwar,  Prince, 

i7.  3*7- 

Dilrubah,  35,  123,  245. 
Diwali  Festival,  66. 
Domad,  116,  154. 
Dubka,  159. 

EASTER,  219. 

Elephanta  Caves,  274,  313. 
Elephants,  68,  117,  122,  155. 
Evans-Gordon    General,  43,  92, 
216. 

FARDESAI,  99,  319. 
Fatehpur  Sikri,  196. 
Fatehsinhrao  Gaekwar,  the  late 

Prince,  214. 
Faye,  Serjt.-Major,   35,  75,  137, 

291. 

Gadi,  67. 

Gadi-walas,  53. 

Gaol,  307. 

Ghatge,    Shrimant    Vishwasrao. 

See  BAB  A  SAHEB. 
Goa  Boys,  59. 

Guns,  gold  and  silver,  50,  312. 
Guzerat,  73,  176,  316. 
Gwalior,  Maharaja  Scindhia  of, 

197,  205. 
Gymkhana,  93. 

HARIHAR,  234. 
Hindu  Calendar,  173. 
Hindu  Funeral,  276. 
Hingujirao,  98,  107,  130,  319. 
Hunting,  251. 

INDIRA  RAJA  GAEKWAR,  PRIN- 
CESS, 16,  38,  57,  60,  83,  86,  98, 


115,  173.  220,  244,  286,  305, 

319. 
Indomatti    Gaekwar,     Princess, 

214,  225. 
Indore,     Maharaja    Holkar    of, 

252,  262. 

JADHAV,  DR.,  14,  75,   107,   133, 

319. 
Jagganath,     Temple     of,      185, 

237- 

Jaipur,  189. 
Jaisinhrao  Gaekwar,  Prince,  16, 

289. 
Jam  Saheb  of  Jamnagar,  H.  H. 

the,  21  iff,  269. 
Jewels,  310. 

Jodhpur,  Maharaja  of,  165,  180. 
Justice,  Courts  of,  308. 

KARLI  Caves,  223. 
Khandala,  222. 

Khande  Rao  Gaekwar,  77,  312. 
Kolhapur,  Maharaja  of,  228. 

LAKSHMI  DEVI,   PRINCESS,   214, 

225. 
Lakshmivilas  Palace.     See  RAJ 

MAHAL. 

Lapait  Club,  47,  94,  291,  319. 
Lares  et  Penates,  281. 
Lawn-tennis,  19,  241. 
Lectures,  217,  218. 
Lent,  218. 
Library,  291. 
Lunawada,  Maharana  of,  67,  72. 

Macedonia,  P.    and  O.  SS.,  3,  8, 

18,   195- 

McLean,  Miss,  290. 
Madras,  the  Bishop  of,  256,  258. 


322 


INDEX 


Madras,  H.  E.  the  Governor  of, 

256,  302. 

Mahableshwar,  225. 
Makarpura  Palace,  94,  28 iff. 
Mangoes,  219. 
Mari  Kanave,  235. 
Matheran,  128. 
Mattine,  145,  252,  272. 
Mayo  College,  178. 
Meade,  Colonel,  43,  91,  92,  284. 
Mehsana,  175. 
Mettapulyan,  267. 
Mirag  Raj,  154,  252. 
Mohammed  Ali,  160,  209. 
Mohammedans,  117,  207. 
"  Molly,"  252. 
Monkeys,  135,  136. 
Morenas,  45,  62,  no,  319. 
Muharram  Festival,  207. 
Mulhar  Rao  Gaekwar,  247. 
Mungal  Khan,  59,  319. 
Museum,  297,  305. 
Music,   Native,   50,   65,  68,   72, 

73.  173- 

Mysore,  236,  268. 
Mysore,  Maharaja  of,  252,  254, 

264,  268. 

NANJANGUD,  237. 
Nasik,  247. 

Nazarbag  Palace,  50,  67,  309. 
Nilgiri  Hills,  237. 
Nimbalker,  Capt.,  15,  19,  42,  75, 
275.  319. 

O'BRIEN,  CAPT.,  91,  93. 
Ootacarnund,  2395. 
Orange,  Mr.  Hugh,  315. 
Owchitrao    Kaka,    14,   60,    161, 
167,  170,  319. 


PADMANI,  186. 


Parab,  Lieut.,  42,  53. 
Pariah  Dogs,  135. 
Parrot  Sports,  286. 
Parsis,  9,  81,  128,  265. 
Petlad,  143. 
Pigsticking,  1626. 
Pilajirao,  36,  46,  55,  319. 
Plays,  Hindu  and  Mohammedan, 

64. 

Pluck,  Mr.,  29,  57,  71,  261. 
Poona,  224,  271. 
Pratabgahr,  226. 
Public  Park,  304. 
Puggari,  14,  107. 

RAJ  MAHAL,  25,  27,  300. 

Ramazan,  154. 

Rewah,  Maharaja  of,  200. 

SAMPATRAO     GAEKWAR,     SHRI- 

MANT,  9,  19,  22,  49,  94,  215, 

301,  310. 
Sanka,  12,  64,  77,  107,  174,  186, 

198,  245,  274,  320. 
Savantwadi,  Chief  of,  233. 
Schools,  146,  152,  230,  308. 
Seringapatam,  236. 
Shiah  Gosh,  97. 
Shikar,  85. 
Shivaji,  226,  228. 
Shivajirao  Gaekwar,  Prince,  17, 

33.  46.  83,  93,  106,  244.  317, 

319. 

Shivraj  Sinhji,  42. 
Slowcoach,  35,  89,  145. 
Squirrels,  134. 
Stevenson,  Mr.,  109. 
Studdy,  Capt.,  302. 

TABUTS,  210. 

Tanjore  Nautch  Girls,  64,  119. 

Theatre,  Native,  in. 


323 


A  YEAR   WITH  THE   GAEKWAR 


Tiger-shooting,  2ooff. 
Todas,  265. 
Towers  of  Silence,  81. 
Turnbull,  Mr.  R.  W.,  36,  46,  83, 
99,  244,  394. 

UDAIPUR,  180. 

Uphadyas,  247. 

Urs,  Col.  Desaraj,  269. 

VANIKER,   Mr.   V.   Y.,    14,    144, 

153- 
Vishnamitri  River,  21. 


Wagh,  288. 
Waghnakh,  226. 
Warrender,  Sir  George,  104. 
Warrender,  Lady  Maud,  104. 
Weddings,  80,  113,  300. 
Wellington,  258. 
Whitehead,  Mrs.,  255,  258. 
Wodehouse,  Major,  230. 
"  Woodstock,"  240. 

YAM,  roasted,  394. 
Yeshwant,  245. 

ZEMINDARS,  245. 


Printed  in  Great  Britain. 


DATE  DUE 


PHINTtO  IN  U.m.A. 


A     000  655  995     9 


